LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its Division III Regional Awards on Thursday and Gustavus volleyball is well represented with the top two honors in the Central Region. Rachelle Sherden is the Central Region Coach of the Year and Nora Holtan (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) is the Central Region Player of the Year. Kate Holtan (So., Rochester, Minn.) and Brittany Luethmers (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.) join Nora on the All-Region Team, while Lauren Hanson (Sr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) was named honorable mention.
Sherden earns Region Coach of the Year for the second time after receiving the honor in 2015. One week removed from being named MIAC Coach of the Year, Sherden has guided the Gusties to claim both the MIAC regular season and playoff titles with an unblemished 13-0 record against conference foes. As the No. 1 team in the Central Region and No. 8 team in the latest national poll, Gustavus enters the NCAA tournament 27-2.
Nora Holtan is the first player in program history to be named AVCA Central Region Player of the Year after serving as the Gusties’ setter in all 110 sets this season. Nora averages 10.18 assists per set and recently broke a 22-year old school record for career assists. She currently has 4,499 career assists. Nora also averages 2.46 digs per set and owns a .278 attack percentage. The three-time MIAC Player of the Year is the only player in program history with at least 4,000 assists, 1,000 digs, and 500 kills.
Kate Holtan earns her second All-Region award after being named Central Region Freshman of the Year last season. Kate is the team’s top attacker with 376 kills and an average of 3.42 per set. She’s also steady on the back line with 405 digs and an average of 3.68 per set. Serving is another strength as she leads the team with 38 aces. Kate has tallied 16 double-doubles this season in kills and digs, which is the third most in a single season in program history.
After receiving region honorable mention last season, Luethmers earns a spot on the All-Region Team this year as Gustavus’s top backline defender. Luethmers has played in all 110 sets this season with 537 digs and an average of 4.88 per set. She eclipsed the 2,000 career dig mark earlier this season and is now 52 shy of breaking the program’s all-time record of 2,329.
Hanson receives her second honorable mention after receiving it in 2016. Hanson is the team’s second-leading attacker with 313 kills and an average of 2.87 per set. She’s efficient on the attack as well with a .260 hitting percentage. Hanson averages 0.47 blocks per set and has 27 services aces. Defensively, she averages 1.35 digs per set.