FREELAND, MICH.-- Trine's Carly Searles and Mikayla Carpenter have been named to the All-MIAA volleyball teams, which were announced Saturday night.
Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) was named First-Team All-MIAA, while Carpenter (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) earned Second-Team honors. The First-Team selection is the first of Searles' career, and caps off a career that included two Second-Team selections. Carpenter picked up the first All-MIAA honor of her collegiate career. Both players were key pieces of a team that turned in the best season by a Trine team since the school joined NCAA Division III in 2004. The Thunder won a program-best 12 MIAA matches to finish third in the conference, and earned their first 20-win season (24-6) since 1999.
Searles gave the Thunder a hitting and passing threat on offense, as well as a superb defender. The senior led all MIAA setters with 1.96 kills and 3.35 digs per set. She ranked third in the conference in averaging 8.67 assists per set, and hit .257 on the season. Searles was named MIAA Specialist of the Week three times this fall to give her five such honors in her career.
The setter showed off her all-around skill-set on numerous occasions, highlighted by her six triple-doubles. Searles' all-time ranks at Trine place her third in assists (2,449), fourth in service aces (128), fifth in digs (1,259) and ninth in kills (697). She is the only player in school-history to rank among the top 10 in all four categories.
Carpenter stepped right into the libero role as a freshman and never looked back. Carpenter led the conference in digs per set in conference matches (5.03), and was second overall in all matches with a 4.83 digs per set average. She anchored the back line of Trine's serve reception, with a .949 reception percentage.
In her first collegiate season, Carpenter was a model of consistency, notching 10 or more digs in all but three matches. She topped 20 digs in a match nine times, including a career-high 31 in a five-set victory at Kalamazoo. Carpenter's digs per set average this season was the third-best at Trine since the implementation of rally scoring in 2001.
Trine was eliminated from MIAA Championship contention last night by no. 1 Calvin in four sets. The Thunder await a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The field will be announced Monday at 11 a.m.
The complete All-MIAA teams and award-winners are listed below.
Most Valuable Player: Maggie Kamp, Calvin
Defensive Player of the Year: Allie Mitchell, Hope
Freshman of the Year: Jenna Lodewyk, Calvin
All-MIAA First Team
Laura Danhoff, Calvin
Jenna Grasmeyer, Hope
Hannah Guilford, Alma
Lauren Hazekamp, Hope
Maggie Kamp, Calvin
Jenna Lodewyk, Calvin
Carly Searles, Trine
Amy VanderStoep, Hope
All-MIAA Second Team
Elise Beisboer, Calvin
Jordan Brisson, Adrian
Mikayla Carpenter, Trine
Emily Crowe, Calvin
Nya Greenstone, Kalamazoo
Anna Lynch, Hope
Allie Mitchell, Hope
Kati Schneider, Saint Mary's