BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2016 Volleyball Awards on Wednesday and Gustavus took home four All-Conference awards, as well as the top honor of Player-of-the-Year. In just her sophomore campaign, Nora Holtan (Rochester, Minn.) earns MIAC Player-of-the-Year after a stellar season. Lauren Hanson (So., Redwood Falls, Minn.), Brittany Luethmers (So., Prior Lake, Minn.), and Taylor Trautman (Sr., Hutchinson, Minn.) join Holtan on the 2016 All-Conference Team, marking the third time in program history that four Gusties were selected.
Nora Holtan
Holtan becomes the second consecutive Gustavus student-athlete to be named MIAC Player-of-the-Year after Alyssa Taylor earned the honor last season. She is also the first sophomore to earn Player-of-the-Year since St. Thomas’ Kelly Foley in 2012, as Foley went on to win three consecutive MIAC Player-of-the-Year awards. Holtan makes her second appearance on the All-Conference Team after she was picked as the MIAC’s Rookie-of-the-Year last season. The Rochester Mayo product has nearly 200 more assists than anyone else in the league with 1,115, averaging 9.87 per set, which is also the best in the conference. Holtan is also dangerous on the attack with a .296 hitting percentage, which is third best in the MIAC, to go along with 161 kills, 265 digs, and 26 aces.
Lauren Hanson
Hanson earns her first All-Conference award after leading the Gusties offensively during her second season. Hanson has played in 28 matches this year with 363 kills and an average of 3.33 per set, numbers that rank second and third in the league, respectively. The Redwood Valley product has the most attacks on the team at 1,091 and holds a .220 hitting percentage. She also has 76 digs and 42 total blocks.
Brittany Luethmers
Luethmers makes the All-Conference Team for the second straight season after once again providing a steady presence on the back line as the Gusties’ libero. Luethmers leads the team with 546 digs, which is third most in the league, and averages 4.79 per set. The Prior Lake product owns a .952 receiving percentage with a just 19 errors on 397 total attempts. She also has 24 aces and has played in all 114 sets this season.
Taylor Trautman
Trautman earns her second straight All-Conference award as well after proving to be a strong offensive threat for the Gusties. Trautman has played in 106 sets this season with 269 kills and averages 2.54 per set. She’s also added 88 digs, 43 blocks, and 10 aces. The Hutchinson product is arguably one of the hardest hitting right sides in the league and is a true all-around player.
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC announced the 11th annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for volleyball. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition. This season’s representative from Gustavus is Janessa Jahnke (Sr., Blue Earth, Minn.).