FSU's Alaina Olds Receives Second-Team All-America Accolades

December 2, 2002

Senior middle hitter Alaina Olds (Kingsley) of the Ferris State University women's volleyball team has been named to the 2002 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II All-America Second-Team in an announcement made by the AVCA.

Olds, who twice (2001-02) attained AVCA Division II All-Great Lakes Region First-Team accolades, is FSU's eighth women's volleyball All-America honoree and represents Ferris' first selection since Kathy O'Connor attained second-team recognition from 1992-93. She joins O'Connor, Stephanie Chaffin (1992-2nd), Karen Volkers (1990-2nd), Lori Blair (1990-2nd), Patty Theis (1986,1987-1st; 1985-2nd), Wendy McCann (1987-2nd) and Sharon Sanders (1984-2nd) as the Bulldogs' All-America selections.

Four Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) players were named to one of the three AVCA All-America teams. Olds was the league's only second-team choice while Nicole Bayle and Carly Miller of Grand Valley State and Northwood's Amy Gruszynski garnered first-team kudos.

A two-time (2001-02) first-team All-GLIAC pick, Olds became the 12th player in school history to register 1,000 career kills and concluded her career ranked ninth at Ferris with 1,222 kills. She registered at least one kill in her last 79 appearances and garnered 10 or more kills in 24 of her last 26 matches. The 5-11 Olds, who earned the GLIAC North Division's Player of the Week Award three times (9/3, 9/23, 10/28) this season, led Ferris with 503 kills (4.37 kpg) and 125 total blocks (1.09 bpg) in 115 games this campaign while recording the program's second-best single-season attack percentage (.344). Olds finished her career in fourth place on FSU's total blocks leaders list (448) and presently ranks third in career attack percentage (.287).

Olds, a 2001 GLIAC All-Tournament Team honoree, led the Bulldogs in kills 20 times and had 27 double-figure kill outings in 31 matches this campaign. She also compiled 10 or more digs in 20 matches while totaling 17 double-double (kills & digs) performances. Olds finished the season as the league's overall kills leader and placed third in attack percentage.

The two-time GLIAC All-Academic honoree led Ferris to a 24-7 overall record, a fifth consecutive GLIAC Tournament appearance and the school's 11th NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament bid in 2002. She added 678 digs and 77 service aces in 433 games during her four-year playing career.

FSU’s 15-3 GLIAC mark this campaign represented its best league record since posting a 16-0 GLIAC ledger in 1990 while the 2002 campaign marked the second consecutive season and third time in the last five years the Bulldogs have finished second in the GLIAC's North Division. Ferris also posted its fifth-straight 20-win season this campaign.

The 22nd annual AVCA awards will be presented this Wednesday (Dec. 4) at the 2002 NCAA Division II Elite Eight Tournament Banquet. The banquet, which will be held at West Texas A&M's Alumni Banquet Hall, runs in conjunction with the Elite Eight at WTAMU's Events Center in Canyon, Texas.

The 2002 All-America selections were made by the AVCA Division II All-America Committee: Kim Sudbeck Marcil, Augustana (S.D.), chairperson; Jim Callender, Western New Mexico; Ginger Crissman-Ashley, Catawba (N.C.); Laurie Lokash, Slippery Rock (Pa.); Peggy Martin, Central Missouri State; Robin Salters, New Haven (Conn.); Deanne Scanlon, Grand Valley State; and Kim Vinson, Cameron (Okla.).