Annville, PA — With Wednesday's Commonwealth Conference Semi-Final result still stinging throughout the Messiah volleyball program, the Falcons got a dose of good news to close out its 2010 season.
Freshman setter Jessica Geib was named the Commonwealth Rookie of the Year while sophomore Lauren Rees earned First Team All-Commonwealth honors, joining second-team selections Geib and sophomore Lindsay King.
Geib became Messiah's first league rookie of the year in head coach Judi Tobias' 15-year tenure as the program's leader, while Rees and King tacked on additional accolades to the tandem's second team all-conference honors last season.
“It's great that these three received the recognition that they did,” Tobias said. “All three are team players, they play to win and they're not afraid to take risks. It's wonderful to have them as freshmen and sophomores. We have a very strong nucleus, and we expect to get better each and every year.”
The awards help refocus the program on a bright future in light of last week's disheartening loss at Lebanon Valley College, where Messiah let a 2-0 lead in sets and a 10-4 fifth-game advantage dissipate in a 3-2 (25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 12-25, 13-15) loss to the eventual league champion Dutchmen.
Even with the defeat, the Falcons proved they belong at the upper echelon of the conference, finishing as the league's third-seeded team for the second straight year.
Rees was again at the forefront of that push, leading the team in kills (298) and service aces (48), finishing second on the squad in digs (318). Her 3.65 kills-per-game average in league play was second-best in the conference, upping her production from her season average of 3.10 kills-per-game.
The hard-swinging, Oakdale, N.Y. native appeared in 96 of the Falcons' 111 sets played on the year, again battling through an injury bug early in the season.
“Lauren is super driven,” Tobias said. “She has tons of intrinsic motivation. The other kids feed off her. Technically, she can see hitters and just has phenomenal court sense. She's a great player for a lot of different reasons.”
Rees took nearly all of her kills via Geib sets, as the Warwick High School product finished with 8.78 assists per game — the third-best mark in the conference. Geib was also good for nearly one dump kill per set, averaging 0.71 kills per, also scooping 229 digs and rattling off 32 service aces.
Beyond numbers, Tobias said she believes Geib was honored with the league's best newcomer award thanks to her intangibles, quarterbacking the Messiah team from her first practice forward.
“Jess has got a great volleyball mind, and she thinks the sport well,” Tobias said. “She makes good setter choices and she plays defense. She holds her position well and just has a great court sense. I think it kind of helped her that we were such a young team in all areas. She was able to maybe lead a bit more naturally, knowing that she didn't have to try to lead a bunch of seniors.”
King joined Geib with All-Commonwealth Second Team status, knocking in 285 kills (second only to Rees) behind a team-leading .292 attack percentage. King's 1.41 blocks per game were best among all Commonwealth teams, as was her 50 service aces — an average of 1.7 per match.
“To average 1.4 blocks per set ... that's significant,” Tobias said. “Lindsay is a quiet leader. She leads by doing it. She's our calming influence. Her smarts in the classroom carry over to the court. Like Lauren and Jess, she's just a great kid. We were blessed with a true team this year, and I think that's why we were able to do some of the things we did.”
Elizabethtown College sophomore Holly Bubb was named the 2010 Commonwealth Player of the Year, leading the conference in kills with 319. As a result of the Blue Jays' regular-season league crown, head coach Randall Kreider was named Commonwealth Coach of the Year. After inheriting an Elizabethtown program coming off five straight losing seasons in 2002, Kreider has since led the team to eight consecutive winning seasons. The COY honor was his third in nine seasons at the helm.
First Team All-Commonwealth
Player — Team — Pos. — Yr. — Hometown (High School)
Emily Perkins — Lebanon Valley — Setter — Sr. — Lehighton, PA (Lehighton Area)
Lindsay Palm — Elizabethtown — Middle Hitter — So. — Washington Crossing, PA (Council Rock North)
Joelle Snyder — Lebanon Valley — Middle Hitter — Sr. — Lehighton, PA (Marian Catholic)
Holly Bubb — Elizabethtown — Outside Hitter — So. — Hampstead, MD (North Carroll)
Emily Hopkins — Lebanon Valley — Outside Hitter — Sr. — Camp Hill, PA (Cedar Cliff)
Lauren Rees — Messiah Outside — Hitter — So. — Oakdale, NY (Connetquot)
Andrea Weaver — Elizabethtown — Libero— Jr. — East Earl, PA (Garden Spot)
Second Team All-Commonwealth
Player — Team — Pos. — Yr. — Hometown (High School)
Jessica Geib — Messiah — Setter — Fr. — Lititz, PA (Warwick)
Crystal Agnew — Elizabethtown — Setter — Sr. — Queensbury, NY (Queensbury)
Jamie Ballew — Widener — Setter — Jr. — Media, PA (Penncrest)
Kelsey Hayes — Elizabethtown — Middle Hitter — Jr. — Hummelstown, PA (Hershey)
Lindsay King — Messiah — Middle Hitter — So. — Atglen, PA (Lancaster Mennonite)
Danielle Ozment — Albright — Outside Hitter — Sr. — Reading, PA (Holy Name)
Angela Kuperavage — Lebanon Valley — Libero — Jr. — Port Carbon, PA (Nativity BVM)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Holly Bubb, Elizabethtown
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jessica Geib, Messiah
COACH OF THE YEAR: Randall Kreider, Elizabethtown
