Four Golden Flashes Earn Academic All-MAC Volleyball Honorable Mention Accolades
1/10/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
CLEVELAND, Ohio—Junior setter Aleksandra Nowak (Damnica, Poland), junior libero Hannah Herc (Eden, N.Y.), sophomore setter Jenny Buczek (Orland Park, Ill.), and sophomore outside hitter Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola (Ellicott City, Md.) were named 2012 Academic All-Mid-American Conference Volleyball Honorable Mention honorees, the conference office announced on Thursday.
For Nowak, this marks the second straight season she has received Honorable Mention recognition. A recreation, park, and tourism management major with a 3.51 grade point average, she was selected as a tri-captain prior to the beginning of the season. Appearing in all 98, she led the Golden Flashes with 704 assists and finished second with 172 digs. In September, Nowak became the fifth player in program history to record 2,000 career assists, and is currently fifth on the school's all-time list with 2,263 assists.
A psychology major with a 3.66 grade point average, Herc was aslo a team captain this past season. She appeared in all 98 sets and played a pivotal role for the Golden Flashes' defense as libero. Her 403 digs and 4.11 digs per set led the team and rank among the program's top 10 single-season marks all-time for both categories. Herc recorded double-digit digs in 23 of the team's 28 matches, including a career-high 30 against Western Michigan, and was second on the squad with 19 service aces.
A medical technology major with a 3.64 grade point average, Buczek appeared in 89 sets on the season. She was second on the team with 223 assists and third with 150 digs for the season. Buczek tallied a team-best five double-doubles and accomplished the feat in four of the final five matches to end the season.
A pre-med/biology major with a 3.38 grade point average, Aderemi-Ibitola was named to the all-tournament team at both the N.C. State Courtyard Midtown Classic and Kent State Mizuno Classic early in the season. She was the team's top hitter, pacing the Flashes with 300 kills and 335.5 points. Aderemi-Ibitola also tallied 149 digs, making her the lone player on the squad with at least 100 kills and 100 digs.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.
First-year head coach Don Gromala's 14-player roster was composed of just six student-athletes who were not first-year students or junior college transfers this past fall.
2012 Academic All-MAC Volleyball Team
Laura Avila, Bowling Green
Lindsey Butterfield, Bowling Green
Paige Penrod, Bowling Green
Kaitlyn Skinner, Bowling Green
Liz Scott, Buffalo
Jenna Coates, Central Michigan
Lindsey Dulude, Central Michigan
Kelly Maxwell, Central Michigan
Kaitlyn McIntyre, Central Michigan
Kristen Baker, Eastern Michigan
Rachel Iaquaniello, Eastern Michigan
Meg Riley, Miami
Lisa Treadway, Miami
Sarah Angelos, Northern Illinois
Mary Kurisch, Northern Illinois
MacKenzie Roddy, Northern Illinois
Chelsea Bilger, Ohio
Kelly Lamberti, Ohio
Faith Robins, Ohio
Dakota Harkins, Toledo
Jordan Kielty, Toledo
Jessica Brown, Western Michigan
Lena Oliver, Western Michigan
Honorable Mention
Alex Cocklin, Akron
Morgan Kuhn, Akron
Jill Paluch, Akron
Hayley Benson, Ball State
Lauren Grant, Ball State
Lauren Schlaker, Ball State
Cassie Berning, Bowling Green
Libby Dachenhaus, Bowling Green
Ashley Dunn, Bowling Green
Kari Galen, Bowling Green
Leah Shaw, Bowling Green
Carissa McKenna, Buffalo
Dana Musil, Buffalo
Samantha Brawley, Central Michigan
Val DeWeerd, Central Michigan
Megan Crawshaw, Eastern Michigan
Kim Hildreth, Eastern Michigan
Paige Roback, Eastern Michigan
Erin Short, Eastern Michigan
Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola, Kent State
Jenny Buczek, Kent State
Hannah Herc, Kent State
Aleksandra Nowak, Kent State
Sarah Chaney, Miami
Madison Dodd, Miami
Jenny Ingle, Miami
Christina Menche, Miami
Sam Grams, Northern Illinois
Sue Hayes, Northern Illinois
Emily Paschke, Northern Illinois
Meghan Romo, Northern Illinois
Justine Schepler, Northern Illinois
Mollie Geske, Ohio
Lexie Hartnett, Ohio
Liis Kullerkann, Ohio
Leah Petrovich, Ohio
Serena Warner, Ohio
Sondra Parys, Toledo
McCall Paynter, Toledo
Adria Pryor, Toledo
Lauren Rafdal, Toledo
Becca Reidy, Toledo
Meghan Smyth, Toledo
Gillian Asque, Western Michigan
Carlee Berland, Western Michigan
Ali Gossen, Western Michigan
