Six named Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference in Volleyball
By Caleb Scott
ADA — The Ohio Northern volleyball team saw six members named to the Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference teams in 2017.
Senior Megan Nieszala (Lambertville, Mich./St. Marys Catholic Central), junior Josie Andres (Sunman, Ind./East Central), and sophomores Madison Broering (Saint Henry), McKenna Hostetler (Plain City/Alder), Chelsea Huppert (Bremen, Ind.) and Kristin Langston (Versailles) all earned the honor for the Polar Bears.
The award winners must be a sophomore or higher in class standing, maintain varsity status and have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.50.
Nieszala, a Chemistry major from Lambertville, Mich., earned the honor for the third in her three years of eligibility.
The senior was named is a 3-time All-OAC honoree, a 2-time All-Great Lakes Region honoree and now a 2-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American.
Niezala ended her career fourth on the all-time career digs list at Ohio Northern with 1,878 career digs.
Andres, a junior Sport Management major, earned the honor for the first time in her career after transferring to ONU from Mt. St. Joseph.
The junior appeared in 28 matches for ONU this season, recording 79 kills and adding 24 digs and 27 blocks.
Broering, a Middle Childhood Education major from Saint Henry, earned the honor for the first time in her career.
The sophomore appeared in 29 matches for the Polar Bears this season and ranked third on the team with 32 assists and had 168 digs for Northern.
Hostetler, an Accounting major from Plain City, is also a first time Academic All-OAC award winner.
The sophomore defensive specialist ranked second on the team with 472 digs after appearing in all 35 matches for Northern.
Huppert, a Pharmacy major from Bremen, Ind., earned the honor for the first time in her career.
The sophomore had an outstanding year for Northern as she led the team in kills (407), hitting percentage (.331), blocks (131) and points (498.0).
Huppert, now a 2-time All-OAC honoree was named First Team All-Great Lakes Region and AVCA Honorable Mention All-America this season.
Langston, a Business Management major from Versailles, was also named First Team All-OAC for the first time in her career.
The sophomore appeared in 34 matches this season and was third on the team with 357 digs.
Northern advanced to the Third Round of the NCAA Div. III Tournament where it ended its season with a loss to No. 3-ranked Wittenberg and concluded the season with a 29-6 record.