SEWARD, Neb. – For the second season in a row, junior middle blocker Emmie Noyd has collected second team All-GPAC honors. Noyd and two teammates represented the Concordia University volleyball program on the 2018 all-conference list announced on Wednesday (Nov. 14) by the GPAC. Sophomore Tara Callahan and senior Jenna Habegger earned honorable mention recognition as steady performers for first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad.
Noyd has been a reliable option in the middle during her collegiate career. The 6-foot-2 native of Shelby, Neb., set career highs this past season for kills (235), kills per set (2.67), blocks (92) and blocks per set (1.1). Among GPAC players, Noyd ranked seventh with a hitting percentage of .292. After a career best 23-kill performance in a win over College of Saint Mary on Sept. 4, she was named the GPAC Attacker of the Week. Over 271 career sets played, Noyd has totaled 570 kills and 245 blocks and has a .296 hitting percentage.
Callahan was also an honorable mention choice as a freshman in 2017. The 6-foot-1 setter from Brady, Neb., contributes in many ways. In 86 sets played this season, Callahan notched 566 assists, 76 digs, 65 blocks and 55 kills. One of her brightest moments this season was quarterbacking the Bulldog offense to a .216 hitting percentage in a narrow defeat at 12th-ranked Midland on Oct. 27. She posted a season high 46 assists in that match.
Habegger stepped up her game and enjoyed the best season of her career as a senior. The team leader in kills, Habegger set new career bests for kills (277), kills per set (3.04) and hitting percentage (.218) from her spot on the outside. Among GPAC players, Habegger ranked 10th in kills per set. Habegger floored a career high 17 kills in the Sept. 8 win over McPherson College (Kan.), which is 28-1 overall and enters the national tournament ranked No. 17 in the NAIA coaches’ poll. Habegger completed her career with 546 kills and a .200 hitting percentage over 241 sets played.
Concordia finished 2018 at 15-12 overall. The campaign ended with a loss at No. 5 Dordt in the GPAC quarterfinals.