Mari Hole, Emily Danks Earn All-Big Ten Honors – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 29, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State women’s volleyball junior Mari Hole was named to the 2011 All-Big Ten team and junior Emily Danks earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, the league office announced Tuesday. The teams were selected by a vote of the conference coaches and were based on conference play.
Hole, who transferred to Ohio State from UCLA prior to the start of the season, earned her first Big Ten honor after leading the squad with 3.78 kills per set in conference action. That mark ranked fifth in the league. She also finished sixth in Big Ten competition with an average of 4.28 points per set. The Oslo, Norway, product notched one Big Ten Player of Week nod this season and finished with 28 double-digit kill matches overall, including five matches with 20 or more kills.
The Big Ten honor is the first for Danks, who ranks second in the conference with an average of 0.43 service aces per set against league competition. The Round Rock, Texas, native finished Big Ten play second on the team with a 2.91 kills per set average and totaled 57 blocks against conference foes. Danks finished the regular season with 25 double-digit kill performances and had three with 20 or more kills.
Also receiving recognition from the league was senior co-captain Kelli Barhorst, who was awarded the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship honor. The 2010 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention finished the season with eight double-digit kill performances and had nine matches with five or more blocks. The Anna, Ohio, product was second on the team with a 0.85 blocks per set average against Big Ten competition.
The Buckeyes earned an at-large bid to the 2011 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship and are set to play Middle Tennessee State at 4:30 p.m. ET Thursday at the Thompson-Boling Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
ALL-BIG TEN*
Michelle Bartsch, Sr., OH, ILL (2)
COLLEEN WARD, Sr., OH, ILL (2)
JENILEE RATHJE, Sr., OH, MSU (2)
Tori Dixon, So., MB, MINN
ASHLEY WITTMAN, So., OH, MINN
Lauren Cook, Jr., S, NEB
GINA MANCUSO, Jr., OH, NEB
Hannah Werth, Jr., OH, NEB
Stephanie Holthus, So., OH, NU
Mari Hole, Jr., OH, OSU
Deja McClendon, So., OH, PSU (2)
ARIEL SCOTT, So., RS, PSU
Katie Slay, So., MB, PSU
TIFFANY FISHER, Sr., MB, PUR
ARIEL TURNER, Jr., OH, PUR
Honorable Mention
Alex Hunt, Sr., OH, MICH
Kyndra Abron, Sr., OH, MSU
Morgan Broekhuis, So., RS, NEB
Brooke Delano, Sr., MB, NEB
Emily Danks, Jr., RS, OSU
Alexis Mitchell, Jr., MH, WIS
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Liz McMahon, OPP, ILL
Lexi Dannemiller, S, MICH
Katie Dutchman, MB, NU
MICHA HANCOCK, S, PSU
Kierra Jones, MB, PUR
Ellen Chapman, OH, WIS
Courtney Thomas, S/OH, WIS
* Additional honorees due to a tie
Unanimous selections in CAPS
Career selections in parentheses
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ariel Turner, PUR
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Katie Slay, PSU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Micha Hancock, PSU
COACH OF THE YEAR (COACHES AND MEDIA)
Dave Shondell, PUR
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Rachel Feldman, ILL
Lindsay Enterline, IND
Mallory Husz, IOWA
Sloane Donhoff, MICH
Jenilee Rathje, MSU
Mia Tabberson, MINN
Brigette Root, NEB
Madalyn Shalter, NU
Kelli Barhorst, OSU
Maggie Harding, PSU
Emily Ehlers, PUR
Caroline Workman, WIS
