2011 All-OAC Team & Special Awards
TIFFIN, Ohio—Senior outside hitter and Jackie Reinhart (New Riegel) was named the 2011 Ohio Athletic Conference volleyball player of the year for the second consecutive season and headlines a list of five student-athletes who received All-OAC honors, announced today by the league office. Junior middle hitter Marian Bevington (Celina/Parkway) and senior outside hitter Venessa Haase (Miamisburg) joined Reinhart on the first team, while sophomore middle hitter Amber Welfle (Norwalk/St. Paul) earned second-team honors and junior right side hitter Jacki Street (Grafton/Midview) was tabbed honorable mention. Jason Miller, in his 12th season as head coach, was named coach of the year.
Reinhart is the fifth student-athlete in league history to repeat as OAC player of the year. A four-time All-OAC honoree and two-time first-team selection, Reinhart recorded her 1,000th career kill and 2,000th career dig earlier this season to become one of three student-athletes in school history 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. The OAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month for October has guided the Berg both offensively and defensively this season, ranking among the team’s top four in kills (260), kills per set (2.26), service aces (37), digs (461), blocks (52) and blocks per set (0.45).
Bevington moved up from the second team in 2010, while Haase, a first-team pick as a sophomore in 2009, rejoins the first team after a second-team selection a year ago. Bevington leads the team in kills (311), kills per set (2.34), hitting percentage (.320), blocks (121) and blocks per set (1.08). Haase is second on the team in kills (268) and kills per set (2.41), is third in digs (399) and digs per set (3.59) and leads with 52 service aces. In addition, Haase also recorded her 1,000th kill this season to join Reinhart in the 1,000-1,000 club.
Welfle had a breakthrough season, ranking second in hitting percentage (.311), blocks (81) and blocks per set (0.72), third in kills (262) and kills per set (2.34), and fourth in service aces (27).
Street, a two-time honorable mention pick, is third in hitting percentage (.267), blocks (39) and blocks per set (0.39), and fifth in kills (217) and kills per set (1.92).
Miller guided the Berg to its third straight OAC regular season title and fifth straight appearance in the OAC tournament finals in 2011. Heidelberg began the season ranked 12th before vaulting to fifth in the midst of a 20-match winning streak, in which it won 60 of 67 sets. In conference play, Miller led the team to its second consecutive 9-0 season and ran its winning streak against conference opponents to 23 matches prior to the 2011 OAC tournament finals.
The Berg’s three first-team selections lead the OAC. Otterbein University had two picks, while Mount Union had one. Heidelberg and Otterbein, with five total All-OAC honorees, lead the league. Mount Union had three selections, while Baldwin-Wallace College and Capital University had two and Marietta College had one.
Heidelberg will be making its fifth appearance in as many years in the upcoming 2011 NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament. Opponents, regional sites and start times are to be announced.
The first, second and honorable mention All-OAC teams, and the player, libero, freshman and coach of the year awards were selected by the league’s head coaches.