McKenzie, Kline headline several All-PAC selections
Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director
Nov. 8 - BETHANY, W.Va. - Senior outside hitter Dylana McKenzie (Hopewell, Ohio/West Muskingum) led a group of seven All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) selections by being named PAC Player of the Year announced the league office Tuesday afternoon.
Head Coach Courtney Kline was named the league's coach of the year, while seniors Dakota McKenzie (Hopewell, Ohio/West Muskingum) and Allie Powell (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) joined Dylana McKenzie as First-Team All-PAC honorees.
Senior middle hitter Alexis Castro (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain) and freshman libero Maggie Merren (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) were named All-PAC Second Team, while junior middle hitter Sumayyah Muhammad (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding) was tabbed an All-PAC Honorable Mention.
Dylana McKenzie becomes the first-Bison volleyball player to be named the PAC Player of the Year (Lorraine Ramhoff was co-Player of the Year in 1992). She led the team and ranked second in the PAC with 3.51 kills per set and ranked second in the PAC with a .284 hitting percentage leading to her fourth-consecutive First Team All-PAC selection. She finished third on the team with 64 total blocks (seven solo) and registered 88 digs on the season. The 2013 PAC Freshman of the Year currently stands at 1,634 kills and will conclude her career as the program's all-time kills leader.
Kline was tabbed as the PAC Coach of the Year for the second-time in her career (2009) after guiding Bethany to its first-ever league championship and NCAA Tournament berth. Now in her 10th season at the helm, she is already the program's all-time winningest coach and has recorded eight-straight winning seasons.
Dakota McKenzie ranked fourth in the league with both 3.33 kills per set (413 total) and 3.81 points accounted for per set. The Hopewell, Ohio native was one of the most balanced players in the PAC. She led Bethany with 1,112 attacks, ranked third with 250 digs and slotted fourth with 63 total blocks (10 solo). Dakota currently sits at 1,506 kills and will finish her career second on the all-time kills list behind her twin sister.
Powell helped orchestrate one the most dominant attacks in the PAC this season en route to a first-team selection. The senior setter led the conference with 1,150 assists (9.13 per set) and guided the team to the second-best hitting percentage (.200) and kills per set (12.98) totals in the league this season. The Indianapolis native also led the team with 42 service aces and registered six assist-dig double-doubles this year. Overall, the Bison led the PAC with 1,635 kills with Powell posting the sixth highest assist total in school history in the process.
Castro was named to the All-PAC Second Team after ranking third on the Bison with 249 kills (2.06 per set) and second with 84 total blocks (seven solo). She totaled double-digit kills in six matches, including a season-high 22 at Case Western Reserve.
Merren was tabbed a second-team selection after leading the team and ranking fifth in the PAC with 498 digs (4.33 per set). The freshman libero posted more than 20 digs six times, including a season-best 32 in the season-opener against John Carroll.
Muhammad led the team and ranked fifth in the PAC with 93 blocks (0.77 per set) to be named to the honorable mention list. She slotted fourth on the Bison with 184 kills (1.53 per set) and notched the championship-clinching point against Thomas More in the PAC Title match. The Warren, Ohio native also recorded 31 service aces, good for third on the squad.
The seven selections to the All-PAC teams marks the highest in a single-season for the Bison since the program's inception in 1987.
Bethany will make its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance when it takes on Wittenberg in the opening round of the Great Lakes Regional on Thursday, November 10 at the Van Noord Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan at 3 p.m.
