The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference volleyball coaches released their 2007 Post-Season Awards Wednesday, October 31 and honored three Gustavus volleyball players for their play this season. Emily Klein (Jr., Red Wing, Minn.) and Jennifer Thelemann (Sr., Le Sueur, Minn.) were named to the 18-member squad, while Klein was named Tri-MIAC Defensive Player of the Year. Bridget Burtzel (Jr., Cold Spring, Minn.) was named to the MIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
Klein, a libero, was one of three players honored as Defensive Player of the Year along with Laura Barsness of Carleton and Anna Tinkham of Concordia. She was named Co-MIAC Defensive Player of the Year last season as well. Klein led Gustavus with 597 digs this season averaging 6.35 digs per game and was second with a .955 serve receive percentage making 28 errors in 621 attempts. Klein has compiled 1,689 digs during her career and holds every dig record at Gustavus including career digs (1,689), single season digs (649), and single game digs (48).
Jennifer Thelemann, an outside hitter, was named to the all-conference team for the second consecutive season. Thelemann paced Gustavus offensively with 395 kills this season averaging 4.20 kills per game becoming the first player to average over four kills per game since 2002. As a four-year starter, she ended her career in sixth place on the all-time career kills list with 1,171 kills and is one of 12 players to have compiled 1,000 kills in the history of the Gustavus volleyball program. She also compiled 305 blocks during her career at Gustavus.
Setter Bridget Burtzel was named to the MIAC All-Sportsmanship Team. Burtzel led Gustavus with 1,094 assists averaging 11.28 assists per game and finished second with 376 digs. She is fourth on the all-time career assists list with 2,550.
Gustavus finished tied for sixth place in the MIAC regular season standings with a record of 6-5. The Gusties lost the tiebreaker to Hamline to miss earning a berth in the MIAC Post-Season Tournemant. Gustavus ended the season with a record of 18-8 overall.