Thursday, November 18, 2004

Valparaiso, the top team in the Mid-Continent Conference, received three major awards, while a total of six Crusaders were recognized on Thursday evening, at the league's annual awards banquet.

Lauren Moulton (Elgin, Ill./Larkin H.S.) was named the Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year along with being named to the All Mid-Con First Team. The junior right side hitter led the Crusaders hitting .294 on the season, including a .348 mark during conference play. She also average 3.33 kills per game during the season while adding 1.14 blocks per game.

Katie Bova (Milwaukee, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S.) also earned First Team All Mid-Con honors and was named Setter of the Year in the conference. The junior led the league dishing out 12.17 assists per game, while adding 1.57 kills and 2.77 digs per game.

Valpo also had a pair of individuals named to the league's Second Team. Jessie Fox (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.) and Liz Mikos (Dundee, Ill./Jacobs H.S.) both received recognition from the Mid-Con. Fox hit .291 with 2.71 kills per game and 1.19 blocks per game for the Brown and Gold as a middle blocker. Mikos, also a middle blocker, added 2.53 kills per game while hitting .267 for the Crusaders. The junior also registered 1.51 blocks per game.

Amy Palash (Winfield, Ill./Saint Francis H.S.) was named to the Mid-Con's All-Freshman Team. The rookie ranks second on the team in both kills per game (3.02) and digs per game (4.10).

The final major award went to head coach Carin Avery. Avery earned her second straight Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Crusaders to a perfect 14-0 mark in Mid-Con action and back-to-back Mid-Con regular season titles. She has the Crusaders entering the Mid-Con Tournament this weekend with a 27-4 overall mark, and Valpo has won 21 of its last 22 contests. Earlier this year, the Brown and Gold set a school record with a 14-match winning streak.

Valpo will face IUPUI on Friday evening in the semifinals of the Mid-Con Tournament. First serve against the fourth-seeded Jaguars is set for 5 p.m. in Tulsa, Okla.