Lincoln College volleyball postseason award winners

[November 24, 2009]  The 2009 Midwest Athletic Conference and NJCAA Region XXIV postseason volleyball award lists have been released, and several Lincoln College volleyball players received recognition.

Lincoln finished the season with a record of 27-12 and was receiving votes in the NJCAA national poll during the last weeks of the regular season. The Lady Lynx won two tournaments during the course of the year and advanced to the second round of the Region XXIV postseason tournament, where they fell to nationally ranked Parkland College.

Lincoln College award recipients:

Gretchen Rieger -- 5-foot-8 outside hitter from Trenton. 2008 graduate of Wesclin High School.

• NJCAA Region XXIV All-Region Second Team and First Team MWAC All-Conference.

• Rieger led the Lady Lynx in kills (358) and service points (266) and was second in digs (296).

• Comments from Lincoln coach Mark Tippett: "Gretchen has been an outstanding player for two years. She has been a solid passer and our main offensive threat. Her leadership on and off the court make her deserving of both all-region and all-conference honors."

Chelsea Barr -- 5-foot-8 libero from DeLand. 2008 graduate of Monticello High School.

• NJCAA Region XXIV All-Region Honorable Mention and Second Team MWAC All-Conference.

• Barr led LC in digs (391) and was second in service points (205) and aces (29).

• Coach's comments: "Chelsea was the heart and soul of our defense all year. She was our most aggressive passer and defender as well as a great motivator on the court. Her serve and ability to attack out of the back row were consistent offensive weapons for our team."

Melanie Herbeck -- 5-foot-7 setter from Columbia. 2008 graduate of Columbia High School.

• MWAC All-Conference Honorable Mention.

• Herbeck led LC in set assists (714) and aces (30) and was third in service points (200).

• Coach's comments: "Melanie did an outstanding job of leading our offensive attack. She made good decisions and kept the opposition off balance. She developed a very tough serve, which led to many aces and free ball opportunities for us as the year went on."

Lara Dawson -- 5-foot-11 middle hitter from Mulkeytown. 2008 graduate of Christopher High School.

• MWAC All-Conference Honorable Mention.

• Dawson was second on the team in kills (214) and blocks (87).

• Coach's comments: "Lara transitioned from right-side hitter to middle hitter this year, and her impact on our offense and defense was huge. She was one of our most consistent and powerful hitters as well as a dependable blocker."

[Text from file received from Mark Tippett, Lincoln College volleyball coach]