Nov. 16, 2005
CHICAGO - Two Loyola women's volleyball players earned postseason honors, as the Horizon League office announced its honorees this morning. Junior outside hitter Courtney Ashley (Naperville, Ill.) was named All-Horizon League while freshman right-side hitter Audrey Davis (Rantoul, Ill.) earned Horizon League All-Newcomer Team honors. Cleveland State took home Player of the Year (Nickole Kennedy) and Coach of the Year (Chuck Voss) hardware with CSU's Jenni Ramminger and UW-Milwaukee's Becky Peters earning Co-Newcomer of the Year trophies.
"This is a great reward for the hard work that Courtney and Audrey have put in this season," said head coach Marcie Bomhack. "Courtney's leadership and energy on the floor, in addition to her production, are big factors for us and Audrey has played with more maturity than you expect from a freshman. It has been a team effort this season, with all of our players working hard and playing together that has helped get us to where we are heading into the conference tournament."
Ashley put together a terrific junior campaign after being limited last season and during the non-conference schedule this season with injury. After playing only in the back row in Loyola's early-season tournaments, she re-emerged as a top-flight front row player in Horizon League play, leading the team in kills (161, 3.22 kpg) and finishing second in digs (146, 2.92 dpg) during its 14-match conference slate. She recorded at least 10 kills in 11 of 14 Horizon League matches, finishing with seven double-doubles, and put down a season-high 16 kills at Butler. A member of the 2003 Horizon League All-Newcomer Team, this marks the first all-conference recognition for Ashley.
Davis, who has shown constant improvement throughout the season, continues Loyola's streak of representation on the league's all-newcomer team as she follows Ashley (2003) and Keily Zins (2004) as honorees. The Rantoul, Ill. native has given the Ramblers a major weapon on the right side of the court, pounding out 187 kills for the season while helping improve Loyola's blocking numbers at the net.
Loyola opens Horizon League Championship play on Friday night as the tournament's No. 4 seed. The Ramblers will face the winner of the UW-Green Bay/Youngstown State match at 5 p.m. at the Flames Athletic Center on the campus of Illinois-Chicago.
