CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Campbell volleyball has earned five Big South all-conference award winners, as announced by the conference office Thursday morning.
Jenny Tait leads the way with her first-team all-conference honoree. A pair of Camels made the second-team, Loni Kreun and Kayla Schanback. Allena Heath earned all-freshman team honors and Madison Linxwiler represented Campbell on the all-academic team.
Tait finished the season with a .365 hitting percentage, 250 kills, and 315.5 points, all career-highs. Her .365 hitting percentage placed her first in the league. She hit above .300 for 21 matches on the season, including five of her last seven contests to end the regular season. She has connected on double-digit kills in six of her last eight matches.
Kreun finished the 2016 regular season leading Campbell in kills with 318, which placed her fifth in the league. She connected on at least 10 kills in 19 matches this season. Her season-best 22 kills came Oct. 28 against Winthrop. She finished second on the team with 300 digs, only behind Summer Schuitema and Kayla Schanback.
Schanback also earned second-team honors for the Camels, as she led the team in digs with 519. Her dig total placed her third in the conference during the campaign. She was twice named Big South Defensive Player of the Week during the 2016 season, Oct. 24 and Nov. 7. She has notched a team-high 42 services aces and finished one off the Big South leader.
Heath earned all-freshman team honors after finishing second on the team in kills with 292 and tied for third in total blocks with 42. She was named the Come Ready Nutrition Big South Freshman of the Week twice during the campaign. Heath registered back-to-back games with 21 kills, her second and third games above 20 kills. She put down her career-best 25 kills at High Point, Oct. 18, the first Camel register 25 kills since Oct. 25, 2005 (Rachel Templin).
Linxwiler earned a spot on the Big South all-academic team with her 3.813 grade-point average, while pursuing her marketing degree. Linxwiler finished the season fifth on the Camels with 173 kills and second with 74 total blocks.
The Camels enter the 2016 Big South Championship as the no. 4 seed and will take on no. 5 seeded Charleston Southern at 4:30 p.m., Friday. Campbell and CSU split the season series with each team winning a five-set match on their home floor.
---
Big South All-Conference teams
First-Team All-Conference
Maddie Palmer, OH, Jr., Radford
Jenny Tait, MB, Sr., Campbell
Haley Barnes, OH, Jr., High Point
Leah Clayton, OH, Fr., Liberty
Haley Kleespies, S, Soph, Radford
Madison Martin, LIB, Soph., Charleston Southern
Molly Livingston, MB, Soph, High Point
Second-Team All-Conference
Brianna Gray, MB, Sr., Winthrop
Loni Kreun, OH, Sr., Campbell
Madison Vaughn, MB, Sr., UNC Asheville
Emma Weakland, OH, Sr., Winthrop
Anna Willey, S, Jr., Liberty
Jordan Hefner, MB, Soph., High Point
Kayla Schanback, LIB, Jr., Campbell (tie)
Amaya Rousseau, MB, Soph., Radford (tie)
Honorable Mention All-Conference
Sirena Vorster, MB, Jr., Liberty
Anna Gragg, MB, Fr., Liberty
Cara Guthrie, OH, Soph., UNC Asheville
Addison Kaderli, OH, Soph., Charleston Southern
Savannah Angel, RS, Sr., High Point
All-Freshman Team
Leah Clayton, OH, Liberty
Allena Heath, OH, Campbell
Anna Gragg, MB, Liberty
Sydney Tekstra, OH, Radford
Brooke Monssen, OH, Charleston Southern
Rachel Smith, S, Charleston Southern
Mallory McKnight, MB, Radford
All-Academic Team
Madison Linxwiler, MB, Soph., Campbell
Kylie Klein, MB, Jr., Charleston Southern
Taylor Lillard, OH, Sr., Gardner-Webb
Haley Barnes, OH, Jr., High Point
Anna Willey, S, Jr., Liberty
Sierra Davis, OH, Soph., Presbyterian
Kelby Jackson, LIB, Sr., Radford
Madison Vaughn, MB, Sr., UNC Asheville
Carlie Skelton, DS, Soph., Winthrop
Player of the Year
Maddie Palmer, OH, Jr., Radford
Freshman of the Year
Leah Clayton, OH, Liberty
Coach of the Year
Marci Jenkins, Radford
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Kylie Klein, MB, Jr., Charleston Southern
