Nov. 7, 2007

Complete List of Lone Star Conference All-Conference Awards in PDF Format

CANYON, Texas - After running through its Lone Star Conference schedule with a perfect 12-0 record and clinching the league's regular season title, the West Texas A&M volleyball team was well represented on the list of league honorees as the conference office announced the 2007 LSC Volleyball All-Conference team on Wednesday.

The Lady Buffs led all schools with four first team selections while sophomore outside hitter Laura Prinsen earned LSC Offensive Player of the Year honors, sophomore Katie Rickwartz nabbed Co-Setter of the Year accolades and head coach Tony Graystone was selected LSC Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

Prinsen has been a force for the Buffs this season, leading the team in kills (474) and kills per game (3.89), while Rickwartz, who played only sparingly a season ago, has emerged as one of the nation's top setters and leads the LSC in total assists (1,500) and assists per game (12.71). Rickwartz, who earned LSC Setter of the Week recognition six times during the regular season, shared the honor with Allison Schreiber of Midwestern State.

For Graystone, the LSC Coach of the Year accolade is the fifth of his WTAMU career. In nine seasons at the helm of the Lady Buff program, Graystone has complied a 274-55 (.833) with seven NCAA-II postseason appearances, including four Elite Eight berths.

Joining Prinsen and Rickwartz on the All-LSC first team were junior libero Sara Contreras and sophomore middle blocker Melissa Harper. Contreras, who brought home LSC Libero of the Year honors a season ago, has collected a team-leading 678 digs on the year, while Harper showed impressive skill during her second season in Canyon with 361 kills and a team-leading 107 total blocks.

Sophomore outside hitter Natalie Johnson was named to the second team for the second straight season, while freshman middle blocker Lauren Thedford earned honorable mention acclaim. Johnson, the 2006 AVCA Southwest Region Freshman of the Year, ranks second on the Lady Buffs with 376 kills.

During her rookie campaign, Thedford has posted 147 kills, 244 digs and 60 total blocks to rank among the league's best freshmen.

The Lady Buffs return to the court at "The Box" on Thursday as they host the 2007 Lone Star Conference Championships. Top-seeded WT will face Tarleton State at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday during the final match of the quarterfinal round.