(Posted November 9, 2009)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. - Juniata College placed six members on the 2009 All-Landmark Conference Women's Volleyball Team, five of which were first team selections.

The Eagles went a perfect 6-0 in conference play during the regular season, and won their two postseason matches to claim their 29th straight conference championship. The eight wins in conference this season extended their streak to 315 consecutive conference wins. Juniata also swept the individual awards for the 2009 season.

Seniors Paige Johnston (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and Megan Sollenberger (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley), juniors Kristen Noetzel (Closter, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) and Steph Strauss (Penn Hills, Pa./Penn Hills), and sophomore Drew Barnhart (Titusville, Pa./Titusville) all earned a spot on the first team. Newcomer Kelsey Fuller (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) represented Juniata on the second team.

Both the Player of the Year and Specialist of the Year honors were awarded to Sollenberger while Fuller earned Rookie of the Year. Head coach Larry Bock passed the 1,200-victory mark for his career during the season, and the conference awarded him and the coaching staff as Coaching Staff of the Year.

Barnhart led the Eagles offensively as an outside hitter with 329 kills, totaling 3.36 per set. She also paced Juniata with 38 service aces, coming to a total of 4.02 points per set.

Johnston was second on the team amassing 3.18 points per set for the Eagles. She put down 239 out of 579 opportunities which comes to a .295 hitting percentage at the opposite position.

At the middle hitter position, Noetzel led the team with 61 total blocks. So far this season, she has 22 solo blocks along with 39 block assists, equaling .66 blocks per set. Offensively, she has 192 kills and 17 service aces to aide the Eagles.

Strauss led the conference in assists per game at 10.08 as a setter. She has a total of 978 assists on the year along with 31 service aces. She is tied for second on the team with 228 digs as well.

Playing every game as the libero, Sollenberger has been solid defensively throughout the season. She has amassed 601 digs, saving 5.27 balls per set from hitting the floor. She is second on the team in service aces with 34. Sollenberger has been the only Specialist of the Year in the three year history of the Landmark Conference.

Fuller has been impressive in her first collegiate season, stuffing all categories in the stat book. She is second on the team with 2.65 kills per set, kills with 260, digs with 228, and 2.33 digs per set. She's averaging 3.00 total points per set as an outside hitter.

Bock has been at the helm of the Juniata program since its inception in 1977 and has more than 30 wins each season since 1980. This is the first time that he and his assistants have been named Staff of the Year in the Landmark Conference.

Named associate head coach in 2003, Heather Pavlik has been on Bock's bench since her playing days at Juniata from 1992-95. She is now in her fourteenth season as a coach for the Eagles. Assistant coach Jenn Habel has been helping the blue and gold for three seasons after being a player under Bock as well.

2009 All-Landmark Conference Women's Volleyball Team

First Team
Pos-Name, Class, Hometown (High School)
OH-Lindsey Jankiewicz, Susquehanna, Jr., Easton, Pa. (Freedom)
OPP-Paige Johnston, Juniata, Sr., Lancaster, Pa. (Hempfield)
OH-Drew Barnhart, Juniata, So., Titusville, Pa. (Titusville)
MH-Jesselyn LaValley, USMMA, Sr., Havelock, N.C. (Havelock)
MH-Mary King, Moravian, Jr., Paramus, N.J. (Paramus)
MH-Kristin Noetzel, Juniata, Jr., Closter, N.J. (Northern Valley Regional)
S-Steph Strauss, Juniata, Jr., Penn Hills, Pa. (Penn Hills)
L/DS-Megan Sollenberger, Juniata, Sr., Mechanicsburg, Pa. (Cumberland Valley)

Second Team
Pos-Name, Class, Hometown (High School)
OH-Megan Smith, Goucher, Sr., Honolulu, Hawaii (Long Beach Polytechnic)
OH-Kelsey Fuller, Juniata, Fr., Red Lion, Pa. (Red Lion)
OH-Emily Carson, Susquehanna, Fr., Caldwell, N.J. (James Caldwell)
MH-Jess Cicioni, Susquehanna, Sr., Frackville, Pa. North Schuylkill)
MH-Caitie Ditmore, Goucher, Sr., Santa Barbara, Calif. (Laguna Blanca)
L/DS-Kristina Purcell, Catholic, Fr., Springfield, Pa. (Merian Mercy)
L/DS-Kelly O'Brien, Susquehanna, Fr., Mastic, N.Y. (Eastport-South Manor)

Player of the Year: Megan Sollenberger, Juniata
Specialist of the Year: Megan Sollenberger, Juniata
Rookie of the Year: Kelsey Fuller, Juniata
Coaching Staff of the Year (Head Coach): Juniata (Larry Bock)

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