By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn volleyball added two more names to the program's All-American list on Wednesday as Halle Meister and Jalyn Stevenson earned AVCA All-America honorable mention accolades.
[Photos courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn volleyball has now collected 32 AVCA All-American awards with all of those coming since 2002 under the leadership of head coach Chris Herr
Meister, a senior middle hitter from Omaha, Neb., started 31 of the 32 matches this fall and turned in a career year as she was second on the team with 269 kills (2.24 kills per set) with a conference-best .360 hitting percentage for the season and made a team-high 103 total blocks.
Meister was efficient on the attack all season as she hit above .400 in 13 matches including nine above .500. Meister recorded five or more kills in 30 matches and had at least one block in every match except two.
Against Saint Leo on Sept. 3, Meister knocked down 16 kills on 23 swings and finished with a sizzling .565 attacking percentage.
After seeing limited action the prior three seasons and totaling 34 kills and nine blocks during that time, Meister will now have her name hanging on the All-American banner in Lee Arena.
In addition to being an AVCA All-American this season, Meister was also named to the AVCA All-Central Region first team, D2CCA All-Central Region second team, All-MIAA first team, the MIAA All-Tournament Team, and was the Lee Invitational MVP.
Stevenson, a sophomore outside hitter from Spring Hill, also played in all 32 matches with 31 starts and received All-MIAA first-team honors as she led the Ichabods with 386 kills (3.22 kills per set) and tied for the team-high in double-doubles (14), was second on the team in aces (36) and third in digs (392).
Stevenson recorded 20 matches with double-figure kills and ended the fall on a 17-match streak of double-digit digs.
At No. 24 Central Missouri on Nov. 4, she recorded a career-high 24 kills and had a .370 attacking percentage to go with 17 digs in the four-set win.
Stevenson becomes the youngest Ichabod to earn All-America status since Allison Maxwell also earned honorable mention accolades as a sophomore in 2018. There have been just six total Washburn players to earn All-American honors as sophomores.
Washburn volleyball went 24-8 this past fall and earned the program's first-ever MIAA Tournament championship and went on to make its 17th appearance in the NCAA postseason.
