RICHARDSON, Texas –– University of Texas at Dallas junior middle blocker Jessica Nassau and Hardin-Simmons University senior outside hitter Kaela Parnell won most valuable player awards in their respective divisions and each earned a spot on the prestigious eight-player all-conference team to highlight the 2009 American Southwest Conference volleyball awards, the ASC office announced on Tuesday (Nov. 10) after a vote of the league’s 13 head coaches.

Nassau (Orlando, FL / Dr. Phillips HS) was named ASC East Division Most Valuable Player after hitting .291 with over three kills per set and 49 blocks. She ranked in the league’s top 10 in each of those categories and also helped fuel the nationally-ranked Comets’ undefeated run to the conference and East title.

Parnell Carrollton, TX / Hebron HS) was named ASC West Division Most Valuable Player after leading the league with a .356 hitting percentage and an averages of 3.67 kills and 4.42 points per set. She also propelled the Cowgirls to the West title and a trip to the conference title match.

Nassau and Parnell were joined on the ASC All-Conference Team by Texas-Dallas junior setter Niki Calverley (Wylie, TX / WHS) and senior outside hitter Kyleigh Irish (San Antonio, TX / O’Connor HS), Texas Lutheran University senior middle blocker Jamie Jahns (Spring, TX / Klein Collins HS) and junior outside hitter Jessica Stetler (San Antonio, TX / Churchill HS), McMurry University junior middle blocker Terah Brown (Abilene, TX / AHS) and Schreiner senior middle blocker Tiffany Miller (San Antonio, TX / Churchill HS).

All eight honorees also landed a spot on their respective division’s First Team.

East Texas Baptist University junior outside hitter Kourtney Adams (Hallsville, TX / Panola College) and McMurry sophomore middle blocker Bailey Marcum (Monahans, TX / UT-Permian Basin) earned top newcomer honors in the East and West Division, respectively. Texas-Dallas libero Melanie Power (San Antonio, TX / Churchill HS) was named ASC East Division Freshman of the Year and Hardin-Simmons outside hitter Madison Reyes (Abilene, TX / AHS) was named ASC West Division Freshman of the Year.

Earning the ASC Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year award from the East Division was LeTourneau University junior outside hitter Kristen Chapman (Richland, MI / Gull Lake HS), while Schreiner’s Miller took the honor in the West.

Texas-Dallas was voted ASC East Division Coaching Staff of the Year. Head coach Marci Sanders and assistant Zach Villarrealguided the Comets to their second straight conference title, the East crown, a top-10 national ranking and the first perfect regular season in ASC history (25-0 entering the NCAA playoffs). Hardin-Simmons and Schreiner shared the title of ASC West Division Coaching Staff of the Year. HSU head coach Sabrina Bingham with assistants Nicole Childers and Kim Poorman led the Cowgirls to 22 wins, the West title and a runner-up finish for the ASC title. SU head coach Phillip White and assistant Joe Anders guided the Mountaineers to a 17-win season and had them just one game from making the ASC tournament for the first time since 1999.

2009 AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE

ALL-CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL TEAM

(Listed in alphabetical order)

-ASC EAST DIVISION AWARDS-

(Listed in order of voting point totals; #, & indicates tie in voting)

-ASC WEST DIVISION AWARDS-

(Listed in order of voting point totals; #, &, % indicates tie in voting)