Williams and Ward named GNAC Honorable Mention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu November 24, 2015 Williams and Ward named GNAC Honorable Mention MSUB Volleyball on Facebook MSUB Volleyball Stack on ISSUU Yellowjacket Award Winners GNAC Release

Kyndal Williams and Ashlynn Ward are being honored by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference as Honorable Mention selections.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Senior Kyndal Williams and junior Ashlynn Ward were named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Honorable Mention Team the conference office announced Tuesday.

Ward, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Rexburg, Idaho was named to the conference team for the first time in her career.

The junior was consistently ranked in the top-5 in the GNAC in kills per set and this week is No. 4, finishing up her season averaging 3.30. On the outside, Ward finished the year with 347 kills and a .213 attack percentage for 25th in the conference. She is also ranked sixth in the league in points per set with 3.60.

“We moved Ashlynn over to the outside this season and she did a tremendous job stepping up and being the player we often looked to when we needed to put the ball away,” MSUB head coach Lisa Axel said. “She worked incredibly hard

last spring on her arm swing and adding a couple of different shots to her game and it really paid off. Ashlynn also does a great job at the net blocking and was able to really shut down some of our opponents. We are looking forward to seeing what she can do next fall as she keeps improving every year.”

Ward ended the year playing in all 29 matches and 105 sets for MSU Billings. She had 51.0 total blocks for third highest on the team while also adding in 76 digs. In three years as a Yellowjacket, Ward has accumulated 758 kills and is now 99 away from entering the top-10 all-time at MSUB. She also has collected 145 total blocks while playing in 285 sets for the ‘Jackets.

Williams has been a four-year standout competitor for the Yellowjackets. The 5-foot-9 setter from Helena, Mont., has been on the court for every single play, in all 397 sets, for every 109 matches MSU Billings has participated in since Williams donned a Yellowjackets uniform.

This year Williams finished the season with 1,022 assists and a 9.73 average per set for fifth in the GNAC. She also totaled 32 service aces, averaging .30 pet set which has her listed at seventh in the conference.

“Kyndal has done an amazing job for four years running our offense,” Axel said. “She is a fierce competitor and has given everything she has when she steps onto the court. Kyndal really improved defensively this year and was really becoming an offensive threat towards the end of the season. She was also able to become our most aggressive server this year and lead the team in aces while consistently getting our opponents out of system. We will really miss Kyndal next year as she leaves some big shoes to fill at the setter position.”

Williams finishes her career with 4,019 assists which is second all-time at MSUB and is currently third-best in the conference. Her total of 397 sets played is the 18th all-time highest in the GNAC and sixth at MSUB. She also completed 776 digs and 219 kills during her four years. This season Williams’ 32 service sends her career total to 81 which slips her onto the MSUB all-time list at No. 10.

Katelynn Zanders from Alaska Anchorage was named the GNAC Player of the Year while UAA head coach Chris Green was named the GNAC Coach of the Year. Alison McKay from Simon Fraser was named Defensive Player of the Year, Abby Phelps from Western Washington was selected Freshman of the Year, while Colby Barnette from the GNAC’s newest member Concordia (Ore.) was named Newcomer of the Year.

The Yellowjackets ended their 2015 season with four straight road contests culminating with a match at Central Washington on Nov. 21. MSU Billings finished the season with a 6-23 overall record and 5-15 in the GNAC for 10th place in the conference. msubsports.com | #JacketNation--