Recent accomplishments of Xceleration alumni during the current collegiate season... Go Xcel!
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CAT HELGESON NAMED THE 2019 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR!
Three members of the Chapman University volleyball team earned All-SCIAC honors. Freshman Cat Helgeson headlined the awards, earning the 2019 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Newcomer of the Year after a stellar rookie season. Helgeson was also named to the All-SCIAC Second Team. Helgeson has appeared in every single set the Panthers have played this season. As Chapman's starting libero/defensive specialist, she led the squad and ranked second in the conference with 355 digs against SCIAC opponents. The Walnut Creek native led the conference with 6.34 digs per set as the Panthers posted a 14-2 conference record. In her debut season, Helgeson tallied double-digit digs in 11 of 16 matches against SCIAC opponents, including a career-high 31 digs in a 3-1 victory over Whittier. Earlier in November and for the second time this season, freshman Cat Helgeson was named the SCIAC Specialist of the Week. Helgeson wrapped up the regular season of her award-worthy freshman year with another 47 digs in two sweeps. In back-to-back sweeps that locked up the second seed in this week's SCIAC Tournament, Helgeson put up 26 digs against Caltech and another 21 over Pomona-Pitzer. She averaged 7.83 digs per set for the week to up her season average to 6.08 digs per set. She ranks 13th in Division III in digs per set, which is also the highest average for a freshman in Division III. |
MEAGHAN HOHMAN: SCAC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Colorado College outside hitter Meaghan Hohman (Xcel Class of 2019) was named Freshman of the Year in the ballot of the league's head coaches. Hohman became the sixth Tiger to be named 2019 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Freshman of the Year. She ranked fourth in the conference with a .326 hitting percentage, as well as fifth on the team averaging 2.21 kills per set. Hohman, who started 12 of the 19 matches in which she played, put down double-digit kills on three occasions, including a season high 12 against Illinois College when she hit .846 on 13 swings with just one misfire.
Colorado College outside hitter Meaghan Hohman (Xcel Class of 2019) was named Freshman of the Year in the ballot of the league's head coaches. Hohman became the sixth Tiger to be named 2019 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Freshman of the Year. She ranked fourth in the conference with a .326 hitting percentage, as well as fifth on the team averaging 2.21 kills per set. Hohman, who started 12 of the 19 matches in which she played, put down double-digit kills on three occasions, including a season high 12 against Illinois College when she hit .846 on 13 swings with just one misfire.
LAUREN BUDDE NAMED TO THE 2018 ALL-NORTHWEST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL SQUAD
Campo grad and Whitworth University Pirate Lauren Budde was selected on the 2nd Team by Northwest Conference coaches to close the 2018 season. Budde, who was an honorable mention honoree in 2017, finished seventh in the NWC in both kills per set (2.68) and in hitting percentage (.257). She was the NWC's Offensive Player of the Week on October 8. Read more.
Campo grad and Whitworth University Pirate Lauren Budde was selected on the 2nd Team by Northwest Conference coaches to close the 2018 season. Budde, who was an honorable mention honoree in 2017, finished seventh in the NWC in both kills per set (2.68) and in hitting percentage (.257). She was the NWC's Offensive Player of the Week on October 8. Read more.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE RECOGNIZES EMMA JOHNSON ON ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Loyola Marymount University's Emma Johnson was honored by the conference for her academics and play on the court. Johnson holds a 3.84 GPA in Psychology and has record 196 kills, and a team high 68 total blocks. The junior middle blocker was named to the 2017 All-Academic team as a sophomore last season. Read more.
Loyola Marymount University's Emma Johnson was honored by the conference for her academics and play on the court. Johnson holds a 3.84 GPA in Psychology and has record 196 kills, and a team high 68 total blocks. The junior middle blocker was named to the 2017 All-Academic team as a sophomore last season. Read more.
BOLKO EARNS ALL-BIG WEST HONORABLE MENTION HONORS AT UC DAVIS
Xcel alum Malia Bolko, a managerial economics major from Benicia, completed her career as the school's all-time leader in career digs with 1,855. She broke double-digit digs in 22 matches, with at least 20 gets in exactly half of those dates. Bolko recorded a career-high 37 digs against Northern Arizona – the most in the program's 12-year Division I era – to earn her seventh Big West Defensive Player of the Week nod. This is the second consecutive All-Big West honorable mention for Bolko, who ranked second in the league with 4.69 digs per set. Read more.
Xcel alum Malia Bolko, a managerial economics major from Benicia, completed her career as the school's all-time leader in career digs with 1,855. She broke double-digit digs in 22 matches, with at least 20 gets in exactly half of those dates. Bolko recorded a career-high 37 digs against Northern Arizona – the most in the program's 12-year Division I era – to earn her seventh Big West Defensive Player of the Week nod. This is the second consecutive All-Big West honorable mention for Bolko, who ranked second in the league with 4.69 digs per set. Read more.
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ALUMS AND THEIR TEAMS MAKE THE D1 NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
To finish off their 2018 collegiate volleyball season, four of Xceleration's distinguished alumni will be competing at the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championships, with a goal of reaching the Finals in Minneapolis. Congratulations and good luck ladies! Pictured clockwise from top left: Breyan Ashley (St. Mary's College), Janelle Gong (University of Hawaii), Emma Johnson (Loyola Marymount University), and Kelley Wirth (Yale). |
ROSE-HULMAN VOLLEYBALL WINS HCAC TITLE, HEADED TO NCAA TOURNAMENT
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology earned the second NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament bid in program history with a four-set victory over Transylvania University in the championship game of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament on Sunday at Transylvania.
Katie Orbeta led the team with 32 assists, along with nine digs and five kills. READ MORE.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology earned the second NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament bid in program history with a four-set victory over Transylvania University in the championship game of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament on Sunday at Transylvania.
Katie Orbeta led the team with 32 assists, along with nine digs and five kills. READ MORE.
JONES NAMED HONORABLE MENTION ALL-IVY
PHILADELPHIA - Parker Jones and Raven Sulaimon of the University of Pennsylvania volleyball team earned All-Ivy honors which were announced by the Ivy League on Thursday. Jones and Sulaimon each earned honorable-mention recognition.
"We are all so proud of the accomplishments of both Raven and Parker this season," said head coach Iain Braddak. "They demonstrated a team first attitude every step of the way and worked very hard to improve not only their own skills, but the level of the entire program. We are so lucky to have another two seasons with both of them. We can't wait to see what they both accomplish over the next two years."
Jones makes her way on the honorable-mention list for a second consecutive season after earning honors as a freshman. The sophomore was a force offensively as she once again finished with 200 kills. Her 17 kills against Dartmouth were tied for the most in three sets in the Ivy League and her 18 kills at Columbia were tied for the fifth most in a match.
The Lafayette, California native began the season by the making the all-tournament team at the Mountaineer Classic and continued her strong play throughout the season recording at least 14 kills in a team-high six matches. Her 229 kills and 217 digs ranked second on the team and she led the team with seven double-doubles - six of which came at home at The Palestra. READ MORE.
PHILADELPHIA - Parker Jones and Raven Sulaimon of the University of Pennsylvania volleyball team earned All-Ivy honors which were announced by the Ivy League on Thursday. Jones and Sulaimon each earned honorable-mention recognition.
"We are all so proud of the accomplishments of both Raven and Parker this season," said head coach Iain Braddak. "They demonstrated a team first attitude every step of the way and worked very hard to improve not only their own skills, but the level of the entire program. We are so lucky to have another two seasons with both of them. We can't wait to see what they both accomplish over the next two years."
Jones makes her way on the honorable-mention list for a second consecutive season after earning honors as a freshman. The sophomore was a force offensively as she once again finished with 200 kills. Her 17 kills against Dartmouth were tied for the most in three sets in the Ivy League and her 18 kills at Columbia were tied for the fifth most in a match.
The Lafayette, California native began the season by the making the all-tournament team at the Mountaineer Classic and continued her strong play throughout the season recording at least 14 kills in a team-high six matches. Her 229 kills and 217 digs ranked second on the team and she led the team with seven double-doubles - six of which came at home at The Palestra. READ MORE.
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MALIA BOLKO BECOMES ALL-TIME DIGS LEADER AT UC DAVIS
UC Davis senior Malia Bolko has spent the last four years studying with a major in managerial economics. She very well could have majored in archaeology, however, as she spends a lot of time out of the classroom getting some big digs.
Bolko, a St. Patrick-St. Vincent High graduate, became the all-time leader in career digs for the women’s volleyball team at UC Davis when she had a team-high 27 digs against Santa Barbara to bring her career total to 1,833. The number is two ahead of previous school record-holder Avreeta Singh. Bolko accomplished the feat at home on Senior Night. READ MORE.
UC Davis senior Malia Bolko has spent the last four years studying with a major in managerial economics. She very well could have majored in archaeology, however, as she spends a lot of time out of the classroom getting some big digs.
Bolko, a St. Patrick-St. Vincent High graduate, became the all-time leader in career digs for the women’s volleyball team at UC Davis when she had a team-high 27 digs against Santa Barbara to bring her career total to 1,833. The number is two ahead of previous school record-holder Avreeta Singh. Bolko accomplished the feat at home on Senior Night. READ MORE.
BULLDOGS SWEEP MAJOR IVY LEAGUE AWARDS
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- In a season the Yale women's volleyball program won their ninth Ivy League title in the last 15 years, the team swept the major 2018 Ivy League volleyball awards. Five different Bulldogs were honored and head coach Erin Appleman was named coach of the year, the league office announced on Thursday.
Junior setter Frances Arnautou was named Ivy League Player of the Year, senior team captain Kate Swanson was selected defensive player of year, first-year outside hitter Ellis DeJardin was awarded as the league's top rookie. In addition, senior right side Kelley Wirth was named All-Ivy First Team along with Arnautou, Swanson and DeJardin, and first-year middle blocker Samantha Bray was named All-Ivy Second Team. Arnautou and Swanson were unanimous first team selections.
Wirth, of Moraga, Calif., was named to an All-Ivy team for the fourth straight season. She led the Bulldogs in kills per set (3.31) in Ivy matches (3.31) and ranked sixth in the conference. She also ranked 16th in the conference in hitting percentage (.226) and has 44 blocks for the season. READ MORE.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- In a season the Yale women's volleyball program won their ninth Ivy League title in the last 15 years, the team swept the major 2018 Ivy League volleyball awards. Five different Bulldogs were honored and head coach Erin Appleman was named coach of the year, the league office announced on Thursday.
Junior setter Frances Arnautou was named Ivy League Player of the Year, senior team captain Kate Swanson was selected defensive player of year, first-year outside hitter Ellis DeJardin was awarded as the league's top rookie. In addition, senior right side Kelley Wirth was named All-Ivy First Team along with Arnautou, Swanson and DeJardin, and first-year middle blocker Samantha Bray was named All-Ivy Second Team. Arnautou and Swanson were unanimous first team selections.
Wirth, of Moraga, Calif., was named to an All-Ivy team for the fourth straight season. She led the Bulldogs in kills per set (3.31) in Ivy matches (3.31) and ranked sixth in the conference. She also ranked 16th in the conference in hitting percentage (.226) and has 44 blocks for the season. READ MORE.
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KELLEY WIRTH WINS IVY LEAGUE POW AWARD
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- For the second straight week, the Bulldogs swept Ivy League volleyball awards. Kelley Wirth was named conference player of the week, while Ellis DeJardin won rookie honors for the fifth time this season, the league office announced on Monday.
Wirth averaged 4.83 kills over two Yale victories against Cornell and Columbia as the Bulldogs clinched the program's 10th Ivy League title and punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournaement. She had a match-high 17 kills against the Big Red and finished the regular season ranked sixth in kills per set in the Ivy League with a 3.31 average.
"Kelley was incredible these past few weekends and I'm so thrilled for her to be recognized for her efforts," Yale head coach Erin Appleman said. "She has been an unstoppable force at the net and her leadership has been clutch down the stretch."
DeJardin averaged 4.00 kills and 4.00 digs per set last weekend. In Ivy League matches only, she ranks seventh in kills per set (3.17), 12th in hitting percentage (.239) and 18th in digs per set (2.52). DeJardin also won the award last week.
"Ellis once again has proven what an impressive volleyball player she is," Appleman added. "This last weekend there was a lot of pressure on the team and she played with confidence and poise. We are lucky to have her for a few more years."
This marked the second straight week the Bulldogs swept the conference awards. Last week, Frances Arnautou and DeJardin won the awards. Arnautou this week earned a spot on the league's honor roll.
After capturing the conference championship for the ninth time in the last 15 years, the Bulldogs now await their opponent for the NCAA Tournament. The field will be announced on Sunday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. READ MORE.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- For the second straight week, the Bulldogs swept Ivy League volleyball awards. Kelley Wirth was named conference player of the week, while Ellis DeJardin won rookie honors for the fifth time this season, the league office announced on Monday.
Wirth averaged 4.83 kills over two Yale victories against Cornell and Columbia as the Bulldogs clinched the program's 10th Ivy League title and punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournaement. She had a match-high 17 kills against the Big Red and finished the regular season ranked sixth in kills per set in the Ivy League with a 3.31 average.
"Kelley was incredible these past few weekends and I'm so thrilled for her to be recognized for her efforts," Yale head coach Erin Appleman said. "She has been an unstoppable force at the net and her leadership has been clutch down the stretch."
DeJardin averaged 4.00 kills and 4.00 digs per set last weekend. In Ivy League matches only, she ranks seventh in kills per set (3.17), 12th in hitting percentage (.239) and 18th in digs per set (2.52). DeJardin also won the award last week.
"Ellis once again has proven what an impressive volleyball player she is," Appleman added. "This last weekend there was a lot of pressure on the team and she played with confidence and poise. We are lucky to have her for a few more years."
This marked the second straight week the Bulldogs swept the conference awards. Last week, Frances Arnautou and DeJardin won the awards. Arnautou this week earned a spot on the league's honor roll.
After capturing the conference championship for the ninth time in the last 15 years, the Bulldogs now await their opponent for the NCAA Tournament. The field will be announced on Sunday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. READ MORE.
GOLDEN EAGLES FARE WELL ON ALL-CCAA SELECTIONS, MICKAYLA SHERMAN VOTED NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR AND NAMED ON ALL-CCAA SECOND TEAM
TURLOCK -- Cal State LA's women's volleyball team was well-represented on the 2018 All-California Collegiate Athletic Association Team announced by the conference office.
Six Golden Eagles earned all-conference recognition and Cal State LA picked up the Newcomer of the Year award for the second straight year. The team was selected in voting by the conference coaches.
Mickayla Sherman was voted as the conference's Newcomer of the Year, succeeding Daisia LaBrie, who won the award in 2017. Sherman, a junior outside hitter, has been an outstanding addition to the program this year. She is second in the team with 232 kills after transferring to Cal State LA from UC Riverside. READ MORE.
TURLOCK -- Cal State LA's women's volleyball team was well-represented on the 2018 All-California Collegiate Athletic Association Team announced by the conference office.
Six Golden Eagles earned all-conference recognition and Cal State LA picked up the Newcomer of the Year award for the second straight year. The team was selected in voting by the conference coaches.
Mickayla Sherman was voted as the conference's Newcomer of the Year, succeeding Daisia LaBrie, who won the award in 2017. Sherman, a junior outside hitter, has been an outstanding addition to the program this year. She is second in the team with 232 kills after transferring to Cal State LA from UC Riverside. READ MORE.
20/20 HEAD-TO-HEAD! At the Tri-Meet Invitational hosted by Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ, #24 Jackie Kupeli ('17) posted a career-high 24 digs for NYU but #11 (Xcel '16) Daiana Takashima's 20 digs for Williams College helped the Ephs top the Violets in four sets.
Hailey Lindberg and Santa Clara Broncos Upend #9 Kansas in Home Tournament... With 9 kills and a .500 clip against top-ranked Kansas, Hailey Lindberg and the Santa Clara Broncos take down the #9 team in the nation on Opening Day of the Santa Clara/San Jose State Volleyball Invitational. Read more. Parker Jones Wins Second Ivy League Rookie of the Week.. With the help of the Quaker freshman, Penn went 2-1 over the weekend defeating Robert Morris and Middle Tennessee State to close out the tournament. Jones hit a team-high 38 kills and accounted for 45.5 of her team's points. In the second match against Robert Morris, Jones hit 16 kills in what was a closely contested five-set win over the Colonials, coming up with kills in big time moments. She followed that up by hitting 13 kills against Middle Tennessee State with a hit percentage of .312. The freshman from Lafayette, California finished the Robert Morris Invitational with back-to-back double-doubles, making it five in her last six games. Known for her offensive skills, Jones also played strong defensively as she had 40 digs throughout the weekend. Read more here and here. 
DEFENSE!... Bolko Repeats Big West Weekly Defensive Nod... Malia Bolko won her second consecutive Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week award and her fourth of her career, as announced by the Big West. Bolko was named on the all-tournament squad at UT Arlington’s Maverick Classic, where she amassed 58 digs in 10 sets for a 5.80 average, helping the Aggies finish with a 3-0 record. Her defense also helped UC Davis hold opponents to a combined .127 hitting average in the three matches. Read more.
Kelley Wirth Named on Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team... Yale won both matches on Saturday in University Park, Pa. -- defeating Ohio and Wake Forest -- without losing a set. Kelley Wirth was named to the Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team. Read more.
Hailey Lindberg and Santa Clara Broncos Upend #9 Kansas in Home Tournament... With 9 kills and a .500 clip against top-ranked Kansas, Hailey Lindberg and the Santa Clara Broncos take down the #9 team in the nation on Opening Day of the Santa Clara/San Jose State Volleyball Invitational. Read more. Robert Morris Invitational All-Tournament Honors for Parker Jones... Jones finished the weekend with back-to-back double-doubles which makes it five in six games for the freshman outside hitter. This is Jones' second all-tournament selection after being selected to the team in George Mason which also earned her Ivy League Rookie of the Week. Jones lead the team with 41 kills over the weekend which included 16 against Robert Morris and 13 against Middle Tennessee. She was more efficient against Middle Tennessee with a hit percentage of .313. Read more. Mickayla Sherman Returns to Action, Leads Highlanders with 16 Kills... UC Riverside's Mickayla Sherman returned to action against Sam McGrath and San Diego State at the Denver Invitational. Mickayla did not play in last weekend's matches due to an injury, but led the Highlanders with a season-high 16 kills. Read more. 
Bryanna Davis and LaSalle Explorers Capture Akron Invitational Title... The La Salle volleyball team captured a pair of wins on day two of the Akron Invitational. La Salle topped Loyola Maryland to take the first match of the day with a final score of 3-2 before defeating Akron 3-1. After the undefeated weekend, La Salle was named the Akron Invitational champions, with Bryanna Davis posting 18 kills. Read more.
Malia Bolko Gets the Nod for Big West Defensive Player of the Week... UC Davis libero Malia Bolko earned her first Big West Defensive Player of the Week ending September 10 according to the league. This is her first such award of 2017, and third of her career. She also earned All-Tournament Honors at the UC Davis Invitational! Read more. And here.
All-Tournament for Hailey Lindberg... Hailey Lindberg was named on the All-Tournament team at the UC Davis Invitational, capping off a double-double in which she also had 13 digs.
CSU San Marcos Drops Opener but Tayor Dixon Outshines for Cougars... Taylor Dixon recorded 13 kills to lead the CSU San Marcos volleyball team in their 2017 season debut. Read more.
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Xceleration Alums Named Ivy League Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week!
After leading their teams to winning marks in their season-opening tournaments, Yale junior Kelley Wirth (Xcel Class of 2015) and Penn freshman Parker Jones (Xcel Class of 2017) were selected as the Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively. Yale opened the 2017 campaign 3-0 to win the Yale Invitational, while Penn went 2-1 at the George Mason Invitational. Read more. Rachel Nieto is Xceleration's First All-American... Class of 2013's Rachel Nieto earned honors as the 2017 AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball All-American, the club's first ever to receive this recognition. Read more. 
Career Performance for Molly Dalziel... From Xcel's Class of 2015, Mollt had a career night in UC San Diego's win over Concordia (OR) at the West Region Volleyball Showcase in Central Washington. Read more. 
Michelle Seals the Deal in Dishing it Out!... Catholic University of America Senior Michelle Seals (Xcel '14) had a match-high 31 assists at the Guetle Invitational in Washington, DC.! Read more.
MVP! MVP! MVP!... Kelley Wirth was named the Yale Invitational MVP after hitting .389 with a team-best 34 kills (3.40 per set average) and five blocks in three matches in the tournament. Read more.
Double-Double.. Once again it was Parker Jones leading the way for the Quakers. After winning Ivy League Rookie of the Week and finishing on the George Mason Invitational all-tournament team, Jones continued her strong play at home. The freshman from California led the Quakers in kills with 11 capping off a double-double in which she also had 13 digs.. Read more.
Haley Glass, Student-Athlete, Earns Academic All Big Sky... During the pre-season, Haley Glass was part of an outstanding fall term academically for Portland State Viking sports. PSU had a 3.20 team grade point average. Read more.
Maddie Doud (#5) Tabbed on the All-Southland Conference Pre-Season Team... Xcel Class of 2014 Maddie Doud of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi landed on the All-Southland Conference Pre-Season Squad! Read more.
Kelley Wirth and Yale Honored by ACVA... For the 11th straight season, the Yale women's volleyball program earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. Read more.
Bryanna Davis (#1) and LaSalle Explorers Have the Smarts... The La Salle volleyball team was tabbed with the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Squad honors, it was announced by the organization on Monday. The Explorers were one of 145 Division I teams to receive the honors for their efforts in the classroom in the award's 25th year. Read more.
Amazing! Emma Johnson named on Oregon Classic All-Tournament... In addition to her solid blocking numbers, Johnson also found herself with double-digit kills, notching 11 on 18 swings while hitting .556. The native of Moraga, CA finished the three matches with 34 kills (2.62 per set) on 56 attacks with just five errors to record a solid .518 hitting percentage. She also added three block solos and 13 block assists to contribute 43.5 total points. Read more.
Daiana Takashima (#11) Starts for Williams... Daiana Takashima has recorded double-digits in digs in William College's six of its first seven games this season, including a team-high 23 scoops against the host team of the Union Invitational.
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