LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska volleyball junior libero Justine Wong-Orantes was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and juniors Amber Rolfzen and Kadie Rolfzen were named to the All-Big Ten Team, the conference office announced on Tuesday. Additionally, Mikaela Foecke was an All-Freshman Team member, and Sydney Townsend claimed a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Wong-Orantes earned the label of the Big Ten’s best defensive player in a vote of the league’s head coaches. She is the Huskers’ first conference defensive player of the year since 2010 and first in the Big Ten era. The junior from Cypress, Calif., averaged 4.57 digs per set in Big Ten matches, second-most in the conference. She was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and led the Huskers to a league-best 15.70 digs per set on the season. Wong-Orantes played her best in big matches and was honored after a career-high 30 digs in a win at then-No. 1 Penn State on Oct. 2, as she was named espnW National Player of the Week. She also picked up All-Big Ten honorable mention for the first time in her career.
Kadie Rolfzen was a unanimous All-Big Ten pick and has now been honored all three years of her career. The two-time AVCA All-America outside hitter from Papillion, Neb., led the Husker attack with 3.23 kills per set and added 2.74 digs per set, once again establishing herself as one of the Big Ten’s best six-rotation players. Rolfzen had a team-high 12 double-doubles this season to give her 37 for her career. Rolfzen earned both a Big Ten Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week in 2015.
Her twin sister, Amber Rolfzen, received her first All-Big Ten selection, culminating an impressive transition from outside hitter to middle blocker before the 2015 season. Amber Rolfzen led the Big Ten in blocks with 1.59 per set and ranks fifth nationally. Her block average is the best by a Husker since Melissa Elmer’s school-record 2.17 in 2005. She also hit a team-high .372 in conference matches to rank fourth in the league. She earned three Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards, including two in the last three weeks of the season.
Foecke was a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman team after posting 3.00 kills per set while hitting .268 in her first year at Nebraska. One of the nation’s top recruits from West Point, Iowa, Foecke had a breakout performance in the 3-2 comeback win at Penn State on Nov. 1, smashing 22 kills. She tallied 16 double-digit kill performances in her freshman campaign and finished with 22 aces, including five in one match at Illinois.
The Husker volleyball team has had at least two first-team all-conference honorees every year since 1982.
Sydney Townsend, a sophomore from Lincoln, Neb., was Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award selection, given to one player from each team who is in excellent academic standing and demonstrates good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
ALL-BIG TEN
Jocelynn Birks, Sr., OH, ILL
Abby Cole, Jr., OPP, MICH
DALY SANTANA, Sr., OH, MINN
Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Fr., S, MINN
HANNAH TAPP, Jr., OPP, MINN
Amber Rolfzen, Jr., MB, NEB
KADIE ROLFZEN, Jr., OH, NEB
TAYLOR SANDBOTHE, Jr., MB, OSU
Megan Courtney, Sr., OH, PSU
HALEIGH WASHINGTON, So., MB, PSU
Aiyana Whitney, Sr., MB, PSU
ANNIE DREWS, Sr., OPP, PUR
LAUREN CARLINI, Jr., S, WIS
Haleigh Nelson, Jr., MB, WIS
Honorable Mention
Adreene Elliott, Sr., OH, MD
Chloe Reinig, Jr., OH, MSU
Paige Tapp, Jr., MB, MINN
Justine Wong-Orantes, Jr., L, NEB
Taylor Tashima, So., S, NU
Elizabeth Campbell, Sr., OPP, OSU
Faye Adelaja, Jr., MB, Purdue
Taylor Morey, Sr., L, WIS
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Ali Bastianelli, MB, ILL
Jordyn Poulter, S, ILL
SAMANTHA SELIGER-SWENSON, S, MINN
MIKAELA FOECKE, OH, NEB
AUDRA APPOLD, OH, OSU
Taylor Hughes, S, OSU
TIONNA WILLIAMS, MB, WIS
Unanimous selections in CAPS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Daly Santana, MINN
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Justine Wong-Orantes, NEB
SETTER OF THE YEAR
Lauren Carlini, WIS
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Samantha Seliger-Swenson, MINN
COACH OF THE YEAR (COACHES AND MEDIA)
Hugh McCutcheon, MINN
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Ali Stark, ILL
Courtney Harnish, IND
Erin Radke, IOWA
Abigail Bentz, MD
Kelly Murphy, MICH
Halle Peterson, MSU
Paige Tapp, MINN
Sydney Townsend, NEB
Kayla Morin, NU
Emily Ruetter, OSU
Kendall Pierce, PSU
Amanda Neill, PUR
Ali Schroeter, RU
Taylor Morey, WIS