SDSU VOLLEYBALL COLLECTS FOUR ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST HONORS

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Harris, Pritchard named to all-conference team; Little, Cage receive honorable mention

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo:  Middle blocker Deja Harris picked up her third straight all-conference accolade.  Courtesy goaztecs.com

November 27, 2017 (San Diego) - The San Diego State volleyball team had four players earn all-Mountain West honors as announced Monday by the league office. In a vote of the conference’s 11 head coaches, Deja Harris (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Devyn Pritchard (Temecula, Calif.) were both named to the all-MW team, while and Baylee Little (Gilbert, Ariz.) and Alexis Cage (Newport Beach, Calif.) received honorable mention.

Harris landed on the all-MW team for the third year in a row after leading the Aztecs in blocks, both overall (1.28/set) and in conference matches (1.36/set), as well as hitting percentage (.344 overall). Despite drawing constant double coverage at the middle blocker position, the SDSU junior tied for second in blocks during the MW schedule and ranked third in overall matches. She also occupied the third spot in hitting percentage during the regular season and ranked eighth against league opponents (.303).

Not to be outdone, Harris was seventh in the MW with 3.83 points per set in overall and ranked 10th against conference foes with 3.76 points per frame.

Harris’ highs for the 2017 campaign featured 18 kills in a come-from-behind home victory over Boise State on Oct. 19, along with a career-best 11 total blocks (1 solo) in a road win at New Mexico on Oct. 12. She also hit .733 (11-0-15) in the Scarlet and Black’s triumph over Portland State at the Aztec Invitational and tied for the league’s fourth-best attack percentage in MW play with a .667 clip (14-2-18) in a home win vs. Nevada on Oct. 26.

For the season, Harris posted double-digit kill totals in 21 of 31 matches, including 11 in league competition. On Nov. 13, she was named MW Offensive Player of the Week after averaging 3.62 kills per set and hitting .458 in a pair of victories over UNLV and New Mexico.

On the other hand, Pritchard topped the league with a team-best 5.31 digs per set in MW matches and ranked third with 4.71 scoops per frame overall en route to her first all-conference nod. The SDSU libero recorded 20 or more digs in 12 matches during the regular season, including 10 in MW play.

In addition, Pritchard completed 17 matches without a reception error, including five straight in league competition from Oct. 19-Oct. 31, with the Aztecs emerging victorious in each of those contests.

During the season, Pritchard posted a career-high 33 digs against Boise State at home on Oct. 19, which marked the highest total in a conference match this year and tied for second overall. For her efforts, she was named MW Defensive Player of the Week. Earlier in the year, she logged 29 scoops in back-to-back encounters at New Mexico and UNLV.

Overall, Pritchard amassed 546 digs during her senior campaign, which ranks third on the program’s single-season charts. She also moved into fifth place in school history with 1,467 scoops for her career.

Little collected her second career all-conference certificate, contributing greatly to SDSU’s success this season after sitting out the entire 2016 campaign with an injury. The Aztec senior ranked second in MW matches with a .357 hitting percentage, finishing with .316 clip overall, which was good for fifth.

Little registered the league’s top single-match hitting percentage of the year with an .857 performance (12-0-14) in a victory over UNLV at home on Nov. 9. She also tied for sixth on the MW individual match-highs list with a .650 clip (13-0-20) in SDSU’s aforementioned come-from-behind win over Boise State, setting a season high with 13 kills. The Aztec opposite hitter also came up huge with a personal-best nine block assists in a home triumph over New Mexico on Nov. 11.

For the season, Little totaled double-digit kills in seven matches, including five straight from Oct. 31-Nov. 15, hitting .460 during that stretch. Earlier in the year, she also finished eight consecutive without a blocking error.

Cage, meanwhile, snared her first career all-conference honor after pacing the Scarlet and Black with six double-doubles on the year (kills-digs) while tying for the team lead with 2.87 kills per set in Mountain West play.

A outside hitter, Cage compiled double-digit kill totals in 10 league matches, including a season-high 21 put-aways in a road victory at New Mexico on Oct. 12. She also reached double figures in digs 13 times. Earlier in the year, the Aztec senior amassed 19 digs in another impressive road win at Denver on Sept. 16.

For her career on Montezuma Mesa, Cage compiled 1,009 kills, 569 digs and 234 blocks.

San Diego State finished with a winning record for the second year in a row after completing the 2017 campaign with a 16-15 mark. The Aztecs tied for third in the conference standings with a 10-8 ledger, along with Boise State.

2017 All-MW Volleyball Team

Deja Harris, Jr., MB, San Diego State       

Devyn Pritchard, Sr., L, San Diego State

Piper Heineck, Sr., MB, Air Force

Sierra Nobley, Sr., OH, Boise State

Maddi Osburn, Sr., L, Boise State

Sabryn Roberts, Jr., OH, Boise State

Janell Walley, So., OH, Boise State           

Jasmine Hanna, Sr., OH, Colorado State

Kirstie Hillyer, So., MB, Colorado State

Paulina Hougaard-Jensen, So., MB, Colorado State

Katie Oleksak, So., S, Colorado State       

Breana Runnels, R-Fr., OH, Colorado State

Lauren Twitty, So., OH, New Mexico

Nandyala Gama, Sr., MB, San José State

Breann Robinson, Sr., S, San José State

Lauren Anderson, Sr., OH, Utah State     

Jackie McBride, Fr., MB, Wyoming

Tara Traphagan, So., OH, Wyoming                        

Honorable Mention

Alexis Cage, Sr., OH, San Diego State

Baylee Little, Sr., OPP, San Diego State   

Sanja Cizmic, Sr., OH, Colorado State      

Shayla Hoeft, So., MB, Nevada   

Ashley Kelsey, Sr., L, New Mexico

Marissa Harmon, Fr., S, Wyoming                   

Player of the Year

Katie Oleksak, So., S, Colorado State                            

Newcomer of the Year

Breana Runnels, R-Fr., OH, Colorado State      

Freshman of the Year    

Marissa Harmon, Fr., S, Wyoming           

Coach of the Year

Tom Hilbert, Colorado State


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