Trio Of Gusties Headline MIAC Volleyball Awards

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2017 Volleyball Awards on Wednesday and Gustavus took home four All-Conference awards, as well as the top honor of Player of the Year, the Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and the Rookie of the Year. Nora Holtan (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) received her second-straight MIAC Player of the Year award, Brittany Luethmers (So., Prior Lake, Minn.) earned Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors, and Kate Holtan (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) was named the Rookie of the Year. Hanna Albers (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) joins the trio on the 2016 All-Conference Team, marking the fourth time in program history that four Gusties were selected.

Recognized as the top all-around player in the MIAC, Nora Holtan receives her second consecutive Player of the Year award, the third-straight year a Gustie has earned the honor as Alyssa Taylor garnered the award in 2015. Holtan also makes her third appearance on the All-Conference Team, finishing among the leaders in several categories in the conference. Recently surpassed the 3,000 assist mark in her career, Holtan finished the regular season with the third most assists at 965, averaging 9.95 per set. She is also dangerous on the attack with a .297 hitting percentage, which is third best in the MIAC, to go along with 147 kills, 295 digs, and 34 aces. Holtan registered double-double numbers in 14 matches, including two triple-double performances while receiving two MIAC Setter of the Week awards.

Luethmers is named Defensive Player of the Year and makes the All-Conference Team for the third straight season after once again providing a steady presence on the back line as the Gusties’ libero. Luethmers leads the team with 475 digs, which is third most in the league, averaging 4.9 per set. Playing in all 97 sets, Luethmers owns a .962 receiving percentage with a slim mark of 12 errors on 319 attempts. She also posted 21 aces and has tallied double-digit dig totals in all but two matches during the regular season. Luethmers received the MIAC Libero of the Week honor in September after passing two Gusties on the career digs leader-board to sit third all-time. 

Duplicating her older sister’s efforts, Kate Holtan receives the Rookie of the Year award after Nora claimed the accolade in 2015. In her first season in Black and Gold, Holtan played in every set and led the Gustie attack, registering the most kills ever by a Gustie first-year with 317 to break Olivia Warren’s first-year record of 308 kills in 2008. Holtan led all newcomers in the conference with 3.27 kills per set and recorded six double-doubles along with a .252 attack percentage and 21 aces. Holtan totaled double-digit kill numbers in 18 matches and earned two MIAC Hitter of the Week awards.

Albers earns her first All-Conference award after proving to be a strong offensive threat for the Gusties. The outside hitter posted a .233 attack percentage with 283 kills and averaged 2.92 per set. Albers also helps guide the Gustavus defensive effort, totaling 250 digs for an average of 2.58 per set. She tallied five double-doubles and appeared in all 97 regular season sets.

As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC announced the 12th 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 Anne Ladwig (Sr., Albert Lea, Minn.).

MIAC Release