Complete All-Atlantic Sun teams (PDF)
MACON, Ga. – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team closed its season with honors when
Jenna Ruble,
Taylor Snyder and
Keely Creamer were selected for All-Atlantic Sun Conference recognition, the league office announced on Tuesday. Ruble was named to the All-Atlantic Sun Second Team while Snyder and Creamer landed on the All-Atlantic Sun Freshman Team.
Ruble, a junior middle hitter from Lancaster, Ohio, finished the season ranked sixth in hitting percentage both overall (.316) and in conference matches (.338). She led the Norse with 100 total blocks on the year, ranked second on the team with 333 kills and stood third on the team with 19 service aces. Ruble started the season by earning all-tournament honors from the Cincinnati Invitational and the Miami (Ohio) Invitational, and closed it with double-digit kills in seven of her final eight matches.
"Jenna posting such a high hitting percentage while having the second most attempts on the team is a statement to her consistency and was a great asset to the team this year," said head coach
Liz Hart. "We look forward to seeing the progress she makes this spring and have high expectations for what she can accomplish as a senior leader for us next season."
Snyder, a redshirt freshman setter from Ft. Mitchell, Ky., posted one of the all-time great seasons for an NKU freshman, finishing with 1,340 assists and ranking third in the A-Sun in assists per set overall (10.63) and second in assists in conference matches (11.22). Her 19 double-doubles on the year were second in the league overall. Additionally, Snyder led all league freshmen with 31 service aces on the season and ranked second among freshmen with 2.44 digs per set. She was honored twice during the season as the A-Sun Freshman of the Week and earned a spot on the Xavier Invitational all-tournament team.
"Taylor's well-roundedness as a player, her ability to start us off with aggressive serves, run the offense and play top-notch defense, was a key component of our success this year," said Hart. "We were very impressed with the improvement Taylor made from match to match over the course of the season. We would work on specific aspects of her game in practice on Monday and Tuesday and she would implement those changes to positive results that same weekend."
Creamer, a freshman middle hitter from Grove City, Ohio, was the only freshman to finish in the league's top 10 for hitting percentage (.289). Creamer was also eighth in the category in conference matches, attacking at a .324 clip. Among league freshmen, Creamer was third in blocking (0.72/set) and third in points (2.50/set). She was honored earlier this season as a part of the Active Ankle Challenge (Purdue) all-tournament team.
"Keely's speed and explosiveness was a huge part of our game plan this year," added Hart. "She had matches where she would hit with alarming efficiency, and we are aiming to capitalize on her strength and speed and make her a key part of our offense in the years to come."
NKU closed the 2013 season with a 12-19 overall record and a 7-11 mark in Atlantic Sun Conference play.
