Four Volleyball Players Earn All-Conference Honors, Coach Honored

Utah State had four volleyball players earn all-Western Athletic Conference honors, while head coach Grayson DuBose was named the league's Coach of the Year, it was announced by the conference office on Wednesday [Nov. 14]. The four players honored by the WAC were Chelsea Fowles, Amanda Nielson, Melissa Osterloh and Danielle Taylor.

DuBose becomes the first coach in Utah State history to earn Coach of the Year honors, while the four student-athletes honored by the WAC are the most since USU had five players earn all-Big West Conference honors following the 2001 season.

 

In his second year as head coach, DuBose led Utah State to an 11-5 conference record and a third-place WAC finish after being picked seventh in the league's preseason polls. Among those 11 wins was a three-game upset at No. 10 Hawai'i in both teams regular season finale Sunday night as USU became the first team in the history of the WAC to win a match in Hawai'i.

 

Nielson, a senior opposite side hitter from West Valley City, Utah (Granger HS), was named first-team all-WAC after leading the league in points (6.04) and service aces per game (0.38), and ranking third in the WAC and 10th in the nation in kills per game (5.15). Nielson earned second-team all-WAC honors in 2006 and was a member of the Big West Conference's all-freshman team in 2004.

 

In three years in the WAC, Utah State has now had three players earn first-team all-WAC honors as Zuzana Cernianska and Erin Graybill received the honor in 2005.

 

Osterloh, a junior outside hitter from Sandy, Utah (Skyline HS), was named to the WAC's all-second team in her first year at Utah State after finishing second on the team in points (3.81), kills (3.18) and digs (2.93) per game.

 

Taylor, a sophomore middle blocker from Springville, Utah (Springville HS), also earned second-team all-WAC honors after ranking ninth in the WAC in hitting percentage (.258) and 10th in blocks (1.12) per game.

 

Fowles, a freshman setter from Hollister, Calif. (San Benito HS), becomes the third player in Utah State history to be named Freshman of the Year, along with Denae Mohlman and Zuzana Cernianska, as she ranked second in the WAC and 48th in the nation with 12.52 assists per game. Mohlman was named Freshman of the Year in the Big West Conference in 1997, while Cernianska was named co-Freshman of the Year in the Big West in 2002.

 

Utah State returns to action on Thursday, Nov. 15 when it faces San Jose State in the first round of the WAC Tournament at 5 p.m. in the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. USU is the third-seed in the tournament, while SJSU is the sixth-seed.