VB's Emily Foster repeats as AVCA All-American

November 17, 2009

St. Thomas junior setter Emily Foster of Hopkins, who led the nation in assists, was a repeat honoree on the All-America team selected by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA).

The Tommies have received AVCA All-America honors 10 times in the last eight seasons.

Foster joined St. Olaf junior OH Kim Smisek on the 14-player first team. St. Ben's senior setter Beth Hanson of Faribault made third-team All-American, and UST senior Kyley Crotty was among five conference platers named honorable mention all-America -- along with St. Ben's senior OH Emma Jaynes; St. Mary's junior opposite Sarah Gardner, Concordia-Moorhead sophomore OH Jenna Green, and St. Olaf
junior setter Kelly Prunty.

Foster, who was named conference Player of the Year, led the 26-8 Tommies to a share of the MIAC championship and a trip to the regional finals for the third time in five years.

In Foster’s three seasons as a starter, Tommie volleyball is 41-2 vs. conference opponents and 82-16 overall and have never been out of the top 15 in the national poll. In 100 career matches (357 sets), Foster has 4,132 assists, 990 digs, 55 aces and 331 blocks. She’s also been named MIAC Setter/Libero of the Week six times in her career.

Foster was the fifth different Tommie in the last eight seasons named MIAC Volleyball Player of the Year. She joins Katie Reynolds (2002), Jane Gibbs (2003), Erika Wetzel (2005) and Katie McCaffrey (2008).

Crotty, a three-year starter, had 375 kills and 582 digs this season. She has 1,199 digs and 861 kills in 329 career sets and had 20 double-doubles in kills/digs in her last 27 matches this season. Crotty had 15 kills and 32 digs in a five-set loss to No. 1-ranked UW-Oshkosh and had 23 kills and 45 digs in five-set win over No. 6-ranked Carthage. She was named All-Tournament three times this season at St. Mary's, Wash. U and Oshkosh.

Click here to view 2009 D-III All-America teams:

http://www.avca.org/awards/divisional-/division-three-all-america/