Horizon League announces volleyball All-League teams

Nov. 15, 2007

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Senior outside hitter Leanne Felsing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was selected as the 2007 Horizon League Player of the Year by voting from the League's nine head coaches. The award was announced at the end of the year reception held at Milwaukee's Klotsche Center on Thursday, Nov. 15.

Felsing helped the Panthers to their fifth straight League title as UWM tied a school record with 25 regular-season wins. The Wisconsin native and was instrumental on an offensive attack that led the League with 20.39 kills per game. Felsing also was named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week twice this season (Aug. 27 and Sept. 24).

Junior libero Brittany Malicoat of Valparaiso University was named the Defensive Player of the Year after leading the League with an average of 5.78 digs per game. In 2007, Malicoat registered 653 digs to set the Horizon League single season digs record surpassing Stacy Gilligan's (Duquesne) mark of 579, which was set in 1992. The Indiana native also earned Defensive Player of the Week three times this season (Sept. 4, Oct. 9 and Oct. 30) and was the only player to be receive three League weekly honors in 2007.

Cleveland State University freshman middle hitter Amy Benz received Newcomer of the Year honors after she helped the Vikings to their most successful season in more than two decades as CSU posted a 20-8 overall mark. Benz becomes the third straight player from CSU to be named Newcomer of the Year following teammates Jenni Ramminger (2005) and Beth Greulich (2006). During her rookie campaign, Benz led the League in hitting percentage (.336) and blocks per game (1.54).

Milwaukee's Susie Johnson was chosen Horizon League Coach of the Year in her first season as head coach of the Panthers. Johnson, a long-time assistant of former UWM head coach and seven-time Horizon League Coach of the Year Kathy Litzau, directed the Panthers to their fifth straight League title thanks to a 15-1 League record and 25-2 overall mark. The Panthers also posted an unblemished 12-0 tally at home and enter the Horizon League Championship having won 11 matches in a row.

Milwaukee placed three players on the 2007 All-League team in Felsing and fellow senior Jamie Gabrielsen and freshman Natalie Schmitting. Cleveland State also placed three players on the All-League Team in Benz, sophomore Beth Greulich and senior Mel Snyder. Valparaiso University and vWright State University each placed two players on the squad as WSU seniors Tara Geegan and Alisha Kimbro represented the Raiders, while Malicoat and sophomore Angie Porche represented the Crusaders. Butler University sophomore Porshia Allen and Youngstown State University senior Jessica Fraley rounded out the All-League squad.

Benz headlined the 2007 All-Newcomer Team, while Butler freshmen Katie Daprile and Jessica Wolfe along with Milwaukee's Schmitting and Maddie Sueppel were also honorees, including University of Wisconsin-Green Bay sophomore transfer Nikki Hintze.

The 2007 Horizon League Championship will be held Nov. 15-18 at Milwaukee's Klotsche Center. The championship match is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET, with the winner earning the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament which begins Nov. 29 at campus sites.

The bracket announcement for the NCAA tournament will take place at 8 p.m. on November 25 on ESPNEWS.

2007 Horizon League Volleyball Award Winners
Player of the Year
Leanne Felsing, Milwaukee


Defensive Player of the Year
Brittany Malicoat, Valparaiso


Newcomer of the Year
Amy Benz, Cleveland State


Coach of the Year
Susie Johnson, Milwaukee


All-League
Porshia Allen, Butler
Amy Benz, Cleveland State
Leanne Felsing, Milwaukee
Jessica Fraley, Youngstown State
Jamie Gabrielsen, Milwaukee
Tara Geegan, Wright State
Beth Greulich, Cleveland State
Alisha Kimbro, Wright State
Brittany Malicoat, Valparaiso
Angie Porche, Valparaiso
Natalie Schmitting, Milwaukee
Mel Snyder, Cleveland State


All-Newcomer
Amy Benz, Cleveland State
Katie Daprile, Butler
Nikki Hintze, Green Bay
Natalie Schmitting Milwaukee
Maddie Sueppel, Milwaukee
Jessica Wolfe, Butler