Siena Heights sophomore Aubrey Bates claimed one of the highest honors that the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) awards every year when she was named the conference's Setter of the Year on Thursday by the league office. Ten other SHU women's volleyball players were honored as well. The Siena Heights program had at least one athlete awarded in every category on the annual awards list.
Along with receiving one of the three players of the year awards, Bates also made the first-team All-WHAC squad along with teammate Aline Marinelo. In addition, Janel Ruhlman and Olivia Norman were both named on the second-team All-WHAC. Norman was also featured on the All-Newcomer team, while Ruhlman and Marinelo were all-academic selections.
Sammy Huddleston was the Saints representative on the Champions of Character team and earned a place on the all-academic list. Claire Beaudoin, Alli Conly, Courtney Dolkowski, Megan McBee, Victoria Nerkowski, and Karsyn Wolf were also on the all-academic team for the Saints.
Bates had a phenomenal sophomore campaign that saw her hit the 1,000-career assist mark in early October. She finished the regular season 28th in the NAIA in assists/set with 9.91. She was chosen as the WHAC setter of the week three times this season.
"Aubrey is our rock and our energizer bunny," said head coach Kim Berrington. "As a setter, she has the ability to make big plays as well as keep things settled down. Both of those are hard things to do, let alone do them as the setter. She's a competitor who never quits. She does a great job of understanding situations and uses her teammates at the right time."
Marinelo finished the regular season with a league-leading .328 hitting percentage (31st NAIA). She finished third on the team in kills with 188 while also being a force at the net with 58 total blocks (13/45).
"Aline was the biggest surprise for us this year," stated Berrington. "Her improved blocking allowed us to move her to the middle blocking position where we were able to utilize her attacking more. She was huge for us all season as she led all attackers in the WHAC in attack percentage. It was great to see her elevate her game this year as well as bring a little "Brazilian GRRRR" onto the court."
Ruhlman is making her fourth-straight appearance on the All-WHAC awards list. She was on the All-Freshman team in 2018, second-team All-WHAC as a sophomore, and made the first team last year. Ruhlman is the first SHU women's volleyball player in recorded program history to earn an all-conference award in four consecutive seasons (WHAC records only available back from 2005).
"Janel had another great year for us," continued Berrington. "She played like a senior all year long. Teams must account for her in the front row. If they don't, she makes them pay. She led us in kills and was second in aces. She shows up every night and gets the job done!"
Norman made her presence known at the net in her freshman season. She led the Saints in blocks with 85 (14/71), finishing second in kills with 219. Her .241 hitting percentage was the second-highest on the team.
"Olivia had a huge freshman year," remarked Berrington. "With her size and athletic ability, I knew she would be a force at some point. You just never know how quickly young players will adapt to the speed of the college game. She came in and made a statement in her first match. While she's had to make some adjustments as teams key on her, she has been very coachable and has worked hard to improve. Most importantly, she just seems to accept the challenge and finds a way!"
Click here for the complete list of WHAC women's volleyball awards.
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