Anchorage Daily News

UAA senior Rhea Cardwell was a first-team Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball team selection Monday while teammate Calli Scott made the second team, the first time in five years UAA players have been selected.

Scott also was named the league's Newcomer of the Year while sophomore Cortney Lundberg earned honorable mention honors.

Cardwell, a 5-10 outside hitter from Prineville, Ore., leads the GNAC and ranks fourth in NCAA Division II with 4.48 kills per set. The new school record-holder for kills per set in a season and career (4.02), she posted five of the league's top six single-match kills totals, including 32 in last week's road victory over Central Washington.

With her 30 kills in the season finale Saturday at 18th-ranked Western Washington, Cardwell became the first GNAC player to record 30-plus kills in consecutive matches.

In addition, Cardwell's 3.88 grade-point average was tied for sixth-best on the GNAC All-Academic Team.

Scott, a 5-9 setter from Scottsdale, Ariz., averaged 10.61 assists per set, second-most in the league. She also managed an impressive 2.57 digs per set, helping the Seawolves (15-14, 7-9 GNAC) triple their overall win total from last season and finish sixth in the league.

Scott becomes the first Seawolf volleyball player to earn GNAC Newcomer of the Year honors since the league's inception in 2001. April Hydak won newcomer-of-the-year honors for UAA in 1996 in the Pacific West Conference.

Lundberg, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker from Hardin, Mont., got an honorable mention nod after leading the Seawolves in attack percentage (.290) and blocks per set (0.93), ranking seventh and fifth, respectively, in the league in those categories.

Western Washington middle blocker Angie Alvord was named the league's player of the year.

2008 GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL TEAM

Player of the Year: Angie Alvord, Western Washington

Newcomer of the Year: Calli Scott, UAA

Freshman of the Year: Anna Herold, Seattle Pacific

Coach-of-the-Year: Brad Saindon, Western Oregon

First Team: Stacey Bennett, Western Oregon; Rhea Cardwell, UAA; Devon Crotteau, MSU Billings; Angie Alvord, Western Washington; Cammy Dranginis, NW Nazarene ; Rachael Schurman, Central Washington; Korlyn Bolster, UAF; Brandie Vea, Central Washington.

Second Team: Kayla Mainer, Western Oregon; Nikki Finley, Seattle Pacific; Megan Amundson, Western Washington; Lindsay Forseth, Northwest Nazarene; Tiana Roma, Western Washington; Calli Scott, UAA; Allison Gotz, Western Washington.

Honorable Mention: Megan Thigpen, UAF; Erin Norris, Central Washington; Lisa Martini, Western Oregon; Amanda Boschma, Northwest Nazarene; Cortney Lundberg, UAA; Robin De Jong, Seattle Pacific; Laura Sakala, Western Oregon; Alexa Sherman, UAF; Joelle Perez, Seattle Pacific; Amy Herron, Western Oregon; Kari Rice, Western Washington; Anna Herold, Seattle Pacific; Theresia Dever, Saint Martin's.

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