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Nov. 16, 2021KANSAS CITY, Mo.

Kirchhoefer earns MIAA Freshman of the Year

Northwest volleyball

A regular season unlike any other in the history of Northwest Missouri State volleyball was rewarded Tuesday by the conference coaches.

Outside hitter Payton Kirchhoefer was named MIAA Freshman of the Year and is joined on the all-conference first team by junior outside hitter Kelsey Havel and sophomore setter Alyssa Rezac.

Kirchhoefer leads the MIAA in kills with 400 and points per set at 4.17.

Havel is second on the team in total kills at 259 and is among the league leaders in kills per set and points.

Rezac is second in the MIAA in assists at 11.66 per set and has stepped up as a leader of the team.

Head coach Amy Woerth said the honors were earned in the off-season and practice each day.

"It's just consistency," Woerth said. "They're bringing it everyday, they're working their tails off to get better every single day. We always say 'one percent better' in practice, and they do that. They emulate that every single day, so I think from a standpoint of what you're getting in your results, it's because they're asking their body and themselves to do that on a consistent basis. So it's fun to see."

Jaden Ferguson, Hannah Koechl, and Rachel Sturdevant were named 2nd team All-MIAA. Abby Brunssen made the all-conference honorable mention list.

Northwest enters the MIAA Tournament with an overall record of 24-4 and a program record 17 conference wins.

The full all-conference list is below.

2021 All-MIAA Awards
Player of the Year: Audrey Fisher, MB – Central Missouri
Freshman of the Year: Payton Kirchhoefer, OH/RS – Northwest Missouri
Coach of the Year: Flip Piontek – Central Missouri

First-Team
Kersti Nix, OH - Central Missouri
Sydney Lierz, OH - Central Missouri
Audrey Fisher, MB – Central Missouri
Hannah Engelken, MB – Central Missouri
Ally Offerdahl, S – Central Missouri
Courtney Lane, OH/RS – Central Oklahoma
Emersen Cyza, OH – Nebraska Kearney
Anna Squiers, MB – Nebraska Kearney
Madison Squiers, S – Nebraska Kearney
Payton Kirchhoefer, OH/RS – Northwest Missouri
Kelsey Havel, OH – Northwest Missouri
Alyssa Rezac, S – Northwest Missouri
Genna Berg, OH – Washburn
Kelsey Gordon, OH/RS – Washburn
Allison Maxwell, MB – Washburn
Allison Sadler, S – Washburn
Faith Rottinghaus, L/DS - Washburn
[Reflects ties in voting]

Second-Team
Hannah VanBuskirk, OH/RS – Central Missouri
Rylie Barnum, L/DS – Central Missouri
Jenna Karp, MB – Central Oklahoma
Amanda Desch, S – Central Oklahoma
Katie Le, L/DS – Central Oklahoma
Allie Kerns, OH/RS – Missouri Western
Ali Tauchen, MB – Missouri Western
Lauren Taubenheim, OH – Nebraska Kearney
Bailee Sterling, MB – Nebraska Kearney
Lindsay Nottlemann, L/DS – Nebraska Kearney
Riley Daugherty, OH – Newman
Jaden Ferguson, OH – Northwest Missouri
Rachel Sturdevant, MB – Northwest Missouri
Hannah Koechl, L/DS – Northwest Missouri
Meg Auten, OH – Pittsburg State
Hope White, MB – Pittsburg State
Marissa Bates, L/DS – Pittsburg State
Sydney Fitzgibbons, MB - Washburn
 [Reflects ties in voting]

Honorable Mentions
Central Missouri: Aubree Bell – OH
Emporia State: Orianna Clements – OH/RS; Rylie Fornelli – L/DS
Fort Hays State: Claire Olson – RS; Riley Tinder – OH/RS; Morgan Christiansen - MB
Missouri Western: Danielle Moje – MB
Nebraska Kearney: Cece Beahm – OH
Newman: Salome Romp – OH
Northwest Missouri: Abby Brunssen – MB
Pittsburg State: Janae Thurston – RS
Washburn: Jalyn Stevenson – OH; Taylor Antonowich – OH/RS