Schnars Earns Second Consecutive Player of the Year Honors
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas
– Central Arkansas junior outside hitter Heather Schnars was named the 2015 Southland Conference Volleyball Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors, the league announced Wednesday in conjunction with the release of the all-conference teams.
Schnars earned her second consecutive player of the year honors with a season of consistency, earning the league’s player of the week award five times this year. Schnars led the Sugar Bears to a 12-4 conference record and No. 2 seed in the Southland Volleyball Tournament, which begin Friday in Conway, Ark. The Downey, Calif. (Downey H.S.), native led the conference with 4.69 kills per set and ranks fourth in hitting percentage with .340. This is the third straight year Schnars has earned all-conference honors.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi sophomore Kristyn Nicholson was named Setter of the Year after helping lead the Islanders to a perfect 16-0 league record and the No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament. The Lewisville, Texas (Lewisville H.S.), native led the conference with an 11.23 assists-per-set average in league play and ranks 39th nationally in overall assists-per-set. On the season, Nicholson has recorded 1,129 assists, which tops the conference and puts her 13th nationally. After being named last year’s top freshman, she has continued to orchestrate the conference’s top offense with a .252 hitting percentage.
Libero of the Year Kate Klepetka also played a major role in the Islanders’ best record in program history. The sophomore from Allen, Texas (Allen H.S.), led the league’s top defense that gave up a .142 hitting percentage to conference opponents. The Islanders’ .142 overall opponent hitting percentage ranks fourth in the nation while Klepetka’s 6.10 digs per set ranks second nationally. Klepetka owns the school’s single-season record for digs and digs per set.
Houston Baptist sophomore outside hitter Bailey Banks has been chosen Newcomer of the Year. The Missouri City, Texas (Elkins H.S.), native and University of North Texas transfer came in to start every set of the Huskies’ conference games. She helped lead the Huskies to a 7-9 league record and a No. 6 seed in the conference tournament. Banks finished second on the team with 2.32 kills per set and tied for third with 2.54 digs per set, while recording three double-doubles in conference play.
UIW’s outside hitter Autumn Lockley was selected Freshman of the Year. The Leander, Texas (Leander H.S.), native is already one of the league’s best players. In league play, Lockley averaged 3.72 kills per set with a .284 hitting percentage.
A&M-Corpus Christi head coach Tony Graystone was named Katrinka Jo Crawford Coach of the Year after guiding the Islanders to their first undefeated conference season and a 28-4 overall record, the best in school history. Graystone has recorded a 122-103 overall record in seven years as the Islanders head coach. He holds a career record of 437-164. The Islanders have earned their fourth consecutive appearance in the conference tournament. They were tournament semifinalists in 2013 and 2014.
A&M-Corpus Christi led all teams with four first-team all-conference selections. Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin claimed two first-team selections each while Lamar and McNeese State had one. Houston Baptist had two second-team honorees while McNeese State, Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin each claimed one apiece.
The 2015 All-Southland Conference teams are comprised of 12 first-team and six second-team members. Teams are chosen by vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. To receive honorable mention, a player must receive votes from 25 percent of the league's head coaches and sports information directors
. Recipients are placed by the number of votes received.
The 2015 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament gets underway Friday in Conway, Ark. The championship match will be available exclusively on ESPN3 with Lincoln Rose and Brooke Bentley on the call. ESPN3 is available via
WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. In addition, all quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be streamed live on the Southland Conference Digital Network, available at
Southland.org/watch and on the league's mobile and tablet apps. Greg Miller and Chris Mycoskie will handle play-by-play duties for the quarterfinal and semifinal matches.
2015 All-Southland Conference Volleyball Teams
First Team
| Name |
Class |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Heather Schnars3 |
Sr. |
OH |
Central Arkansas |
Downey, Calif. |
| Justice Walker2 |
Jr. |
MB |
Stephen F. Austin |
Forth Worth, Texas |
| Ivy Baresh |
Sr. |
OH |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Arlington, Texas |
| Kristyn Nicholson |
So. |
S |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Lewisville, Texas |
| Malina Sanchez |
Sr. |
OH |
McNeese State |
Lake Jackson, Texas |
| Kate Klepetka |
So. |
L |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Allen, Texas |
| Jennifer Loerch |
Sr. |
OH |
Abilene Christian |
Georgetown, Texas |
| Brittany Gilpin |
So. |
MB |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Houston, Texas |
| OJ Olson3 |
Sr. |
L |
Stephen F. Austin |
Cedar Park, Texas |
| Chelsea Grant2 |
Jr. |
MB |
Lamar |
Killeen, Texas |
| Autumn Lockley |
Fr. |
OH |
UIW |
Leander, Texas |
| Megan Nash |
So. |
RS |
Central Arkansas |
Oakville, Canada |
Second Team
| Name |
Class |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Allison Doerpinghaus2 |
Sr. |
MB |
Houston Baptist |
Palo Alto, Calif. |
| Jessica Wooten2 |
Jr. |
OH |
Houston Baptist |
Humble, Texas |
| Jacque Allen2 |
Sr. |
MB |
Stephen F. Austin |
Mansfield, Texas |
| Amy South |
Sr. |
S |
Central Arkansas |
Spring, Texas |
| Kelly Graham |
Sr. |
S |
McNeese State |
Longmont, Colo. |
| Madison Hoover |
Sr. |
L |
Abilene Christian |
Flower Mound, Texas |
2Two-time all-conference
3Three-time all-conference
Individual Award Winners
Player of the Year: Heather Schnars, Central Arkansas
Setter of the Year: Kristyn Nicholson, A&M-Corpus Christi
Libero of the Year: Kate Klepetka, A&M-Corpus Christi
Newcomer of the Year: Bailey Banks, Houston Baptist
Freshman of the Year: Autumn Lockley, UIW
Katrinka Jo Crawford Coach of the Year: Tony Graystone, A&M-Corpus Christi
Honorable Mention: Glynna Johnson, MB, Northwestern State; Landry Bullock, MB/OH, Southeastern La.; Taylor Cunningham, OH/MB, Sam Houston State; Kaci Eaton, OH, Nicholls; Kayla Armer, S, Houston Baptist; Blessing Dunn, OH, New Orleans; Bailey Banks, OH, Houston Baptist.