Dec. 15, 2010
AVCA Division I All-America Teams
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Senior Lindsay Fletemier cemented her legacy as one of the most dominating players in Dayton volleyball history after being named to the 2010 Division I American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Second-Team on Wednesday. Senior setter Jessica Yanz was named Honorable Mention All-America after just one season with the Flyers.
It is the third time in program history that two Flyers have been on the AVCA All-America list, also occurring in 2004 and 2007. UD has had at least one player on the AVCA All-America list in eight of the last nine seasons. Fletemier, a Third-Team selection in 2009, is the first Dayton volleyball player to be placed on an AVCA All-America First-, Second-, or Third-Team multiple times.
Fletemier was listed as an Honorable Mention in 2008 and a Third-Team selection in 2009 to complete her UD career with three consecutive AVCA All-America honors. The Garden City, Mich., native set a program record of 155 single-season block assists while recording the second-highest single-season hitting percentage in program history at .405 this season.
“Lindsay proved this year that she was one of the most dominating middles in the country,” Head Coach Kelly Sheffield commented from the AVCA Annual Convention in Kansas City. “She was consistent with her effort and she was consistent with her production. Statistically she had a monster year, but anyone that was around our team will tell you that Lindsay's value goes way beyond her stats.”
Fletemier is one of three players in the country to rank in the top 15 both blocks per set and hitting percentage, currently ranking fourth in blocks per set (1.54) and 11th in hitting percentage (.405). The two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year has paced the conference in hitting percentage for three consecutive seasons and blocks per set for the past two seasons. Fletemier is the only player in the conference with a hitting percentage over .400 and has nine matches with no attacking errors this season.
On top of Second-Team All-America honors, Fletemier’s 2010 accolades include Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference, Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team, five-time 2010 Atlantic 10 Offensive or Defensive Player of the Week, Notre Dame Invitational MVP, and a member of the Diet Coke Classic All-Tournament Team.
Yanz, the 2010 Atlantic 10 Setter of the Year, transformed the UD offense into one the most potent in the country after transferring into the program in the summer. With Yanz’s guidance, the Flyers led the Atlantic 10 Conference in hitting percentage, assists and kills – as well as opponent hitting percentage, blocks and digs. The Bolingbrook, Ill., native was named the Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player after leading UD the program’s sixth Atlantic 10 tournament title. The First Team All-Conference selection has a team-leading 16 double-doubles on the season with career-high marks of 56 assists and 21 digs this season. On Oct. 26, Yanz was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and was also listed on the Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament Team.
“Jess was invaluable to our success this year,” Sheffield said. “She came in to a team that had a lot of returners and immediately took off with running the offense. It takes a special person and player to come in and lead the team the way she did. She made players better and she made the team better and it is great to see her rewarded.”
Sheffield, who was named the AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year last week, is up for National Coach of the Year honors which will be announced tomorrow at the AVCA Annual Convention in Kansas City – the site of the NCAA Volleyball Championship semifinals and final.
Other notable AVCA All-Americans from Dayton include Faye Barhorst (2003-06), a three-time AVCA Honorable Mention selection, and Ann Meyers who was a First-Team selection in 1979 before Flyer volleyball competed in NCAA Division I athletics (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women - AIAW).
Dayton (28-4, 15-0 A-10) finished its 10th consecutive 20-win season after winning back-to-back Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament titles. The Flyers also advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive season.
