Heise Earns Third Conference Libero Of The Year Award As Five Mustangs Earn All-Conference Honors
Nov 29 | Volleyball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (SMU/The American) – Morgan Heise was named American Athletic Conference Libero of the Year for the third straight season, highlighting five SMU volleyball players who earned all-conference honors. Heise was named to the first team for the third time, along with Janelle Giordano, who earned her fourth all-conference selection, and Katie Hegarty, who earned her first postseason honor.
Kendall Patterson was named Freshman of the Year and tabbed to the second team, and Kristen Stehling also was selected to the second team. This is the fifth time SMU has placed a program-high five players on the all-conference team, including three of the last four seasons.
Heise led the league and ranks 20th in the NCAA with 5.16 digs per set, finishing the regular season with 593 digs. She set the SMU and conference career record with 2,346 digs. She recorded a season-high 30 digs in a five-set win at Tulane, and finished with at least 20 in a match 14 times, including four three-set matches. She was named Defensive Player of the Week four times, all during conference play, and averaged 5.0 digs per set against conference opponents. Â
Patterson led the conference with 1,258 assists, ranking 32nd in the NCAA with 10.94 per set, but was edged by Cincinnati's Jade Tinglehoff in the Setter of the Year voting. Patterson is tied for eighth overall in a season at SMU, and second in assists by a freshman, trailing Jessica Mihm, who had 1,326 in 2002. She had 11 double-doubles this season, finishing third on the team with 296 digs. Patterson recorded a season-high 54 assists in a 3-2 win against Cincinnati, and had 53 assists in a four-set win at Temple to secure the conference championship. She also scored 52 kills, hitting .305.
Hegarty ranked fourth in The American, averaging 3.79 kills per set with a .254 attack percentage. She finished the regular season with 436 kills, the most at SMU since Dana Powell had 440 in 2009. The opposite hitter recorded the league's first triple-double with 22 kills, 12 digs and a career-high 10 blocks against Tulane. It was the sixth triple-double in program history, and first since 2003. She scored a career-high 23 kills in three sets against Little Rock, and eclipsed 20 four times.
Giordano earned the third first-team selection of her career after leading the league with 154 blocks, 17th in the NCAA, averaging 1.34 per set, 27th nationally. She hit a team-high .331, fifth in The American, scoring 261 kills. She holds the SMU and conference career record with 615 total blocks, and became the first Mustang to score 1,000 kills (1,041) and 500 blocks. She scored a season-high 19 kills against Tulane, and reached double figures seven times.
Stehling finished the regular season with 245 kills and 86 blocks. She ranks ninth at SMU on the all-time chart with 315 career blocks. She scored a season-high 13 kills twice, against Montana in three sets and in a 3-2 win against Cincinnati. Stehling had at least one block in 31 of 32 matches this season, including all 20 conference matches.
The Mustangs held conference opponents to a league-best .168 attack percentage en route to a second straight American Athletic Conference championship with an 18-2 league record. Overall, SMU ranks 24th in the NCAA with a .165 opponent hitting percentage. Patterson guided four attackers to at least 200 kills, and SMU hit .250 in AAC matches, third in the league.
SMU finished the regular season with a 25-7 record, and faces Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Austin, Texas, Friday at 4 p.m. The match will be broadcast by the Longhorn Network, and can be viewed online on ESPN3.
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Players Mentioned
Middle Blocker
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Opposite Hitter
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Libero
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Setter
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Middle Blocker
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