CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- The 2018 American Rivers All-Conference Volleyball Team, as voted by the league's head coaches:

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2018 American Rivers All-Conference Volleyball Team
Most Valuable Player Kara Wright University of Dubuque
Freshman of the Year Kate Messino University of Dubuque
Coaching Staff of the Year University of Dubuque Head Coach April Elsbernd
All-Conference	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Summer Goss	Buena Vista University	Jr.	L/DS	Treynor, Iowa/Treynor
Lindsey Koch % *	Coe College	Sr.	OH	Hudson, Iowa/Hudson
Elli Teeple	Coe College	Fr.	S	Ankeny, Iowa/Centennial
Adysen Wintermote	Coe College	So.	OH	Jewell, Iowa/South Hamilton
Paige Griffith	Loras College	Sr.	S	Granville, Ill./Putnam County
Krystal Tranel	Loras College	Fr.	L/DS	Kieler, Wis./Wahlert Catholic
Karissa Kime	Luther College	Jr.	S	Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville
Emma Veum % * # $	Luther College	Sr.	MB	Eagan, Minn./Eastview
Kate Messino	University of Dubuque	Fr.	S	McHenry, Ill./Marian Central Catholic
Jenna Runde %	University of Dubuque	Sr.	L/DS	Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central
Kara Wright	University of Dubuque	Jr.	OH	Stockton, Ill./Stockton
Kylie Bildstein	Wartburg College	So.	MB	Dyersville, Iowa/Beckman
Lizzy Blough %	Wartburg College	Sr.	OH	Dike, Iowa/Dike-New Hartford
Mallary Erbes -h3	Wartburg College	Sr.	S	Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale
Katie Foster % ^	Wartburg College	So.	L/DS	Charles City, Iowa/Charles City
Honorable Mention	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Sydney McLaren	Buena Vista University	Fr.	OH	Council Bluffs, Iowa/St. Albert
Kylie Roe	Buena Vista University	Sr.	OH	Lincoln, Neb./East
Krissa Larson	Central College	Fr.	OH	Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock
Kierra Harder %	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Sr.	OH	Elkhorn, Neb./Millard North
Hannah Lester %	Simpson College	Jr.	MH	Indianola, Iowa/Indianola
Rylee Andresen	University of Dubuque	Jr.	MH	Oxford Junction, Iowa/Midland
Jayme Willemssen	Wartburg College	Fr.	OH	Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock
Previous Honors
% - 2017 All-Conference
^ - 2017 Freshman of the Year
-h3 - 2017 Honorable Mention
@ - 2016 Freshman of the Year
* - 2016 All-Conference
-h1 - 2016 Honorable Mention
! - 2016 Conference MVP
@ - 2016 Freshman of the Year
# - 2015 All-Conference
-h2 - 2015 Honorable Mention
$- 2015 Co-Freshman of the Year

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- The American Rivers Conference announced today that University of Dubuque senior outside hitter, Kara Wright (Stockton, Ill./Stockton) has been selected as the league’s Most Valuable Player. Teammate Kate Messino (McHenry, Ill./Marian Central Catholic) was voted Freshman of the Year and the University of Dubuque head coach April Elsbernd, assistants Milica Zmiric and Karrah Davis earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The 15-member All-Conference team and individual awards were nominated and voted on by the Conference’s nine head coaches.

Wright was crucial to the Spartan’s runner-up conference finish this season, posting a league-high 127 total kills and ranking second in kills/set at 3.85. Defensively she ranked 11th in the conference with a 4.09 digs/set average in league play. The junior standout’s overall season kills total of 387 ranks 33rd in NCAA Division III and her kills/set average of 3.79 ranks 47th. Wright is the third Spartan player to earn MVP honors in program history and the first since 1983. First-year Spartan Messino was another key component to UD’s No.2 seed in this year’s conference tournament. Messino averaged 10.21 assists/set during conference play to rank fourth. Her 3.42 digs/set and .27 service aces/set ranked in the league’s top-20. In 30 matches this season the McHenry, Ill. native averaged 10.06 assists, which ranks 38th in NCAA Division III. Her total assists number of 1,107 ranks 12th nationally. Spartan teammate Jenna Runde (Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central) joined Wright and Messino as an all-conference selection. Runde is earning her second all-conference honor. A defensive specialist for UD, Runde averaged 5.18 digs/set during conference contests to rank fourth in the league.

The trio's coaching staff, led by Head Coach April Elsbernd and assisted by Milica Zmiric and Karrah Davis, was voted coaching staff of the Year. The honor is the first for UD since 1999 and the programs fifth overall. Dubuque’s 6-2 conference record is their best mark in 17 years. The Spartans finished second in the regular season standings and earned the No.2 seed in this year’s conference tournament. Dubuque was the only league team to upend this year’s conference champion, Wartburg, during the regular season. The Spartans led the league in digs/set with an average of 21.67 and ranked second in blocks/set (1.88) and opponent hitting percentage (.135).

Regular season conference champions, Wartburg, saw four players named all-conference in Kylie Bildstein (Dyersville, Iowa/Beckman), Lizzy Blough (Dike, Iowa/Dike-New Hartford), Mallary Erbes (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale), and Katie Foster (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City). Bildstein, a sophomore middle blocker led the conference in hitting percentage (.321), ranked fourth in blocks/set (.92) and 17th in kills/set (2.48). Blough owned the league’s top kills/set average at 4.16. The senior outside hitter also ranked 17th in digs/set with an average of 3.60. This is Blough’s second all-conference selection. Erbes, the Knight’s senior setter, collected all-conference honors for the first time after being named honorable mention a season ago. She ranked third in the conference with 10.40 assists/set during league play. Erbes also ranked sixth in the league with a service aces/set average of .36 and 14th in digs/set (3.84). After being named Freshman of the Year and all-conference in 2017, Foster once again sees her name on the all-conference roster. The sophomore defensive specialist was tops in the conference with a digs/set average of 6.04 and her .44 service aces/set average was good for second.

The third-seed in this year’s conference tournament, Coe College, had three players named to the all-conference team. Senior outside hitter Lindsey Koch (Hudson, Iowa/Hudson) is earning her third-straight all-conference honor. Koch finished league play with the fourth-best kills/set average (3.46) and ranked 14th in hitting percentage (.210). The Hudson prep also ranked ninth in digs/set with an average of 4.50. Joining Koch as all-conference performers are Elli Teeple (Ankeny, Iowa/Centennial) and Adysen Wintermote (Jewell, Iowa/South Hamilton). Teeple owned the conference’s top assists/set average at 11.65. The first-year setter also ranked 12th in service aces/set with an average of .31. Wintermote, an outside hitter for the Kohawks averaged 3.31 kills/set during conference contests to rank sixth. Her hitting percentage of .249 ranked ninth and her 3.69 digs/set ranked 15th.

Paige Griffith (Granville, Ill./Putnam County) and Krystal Tranel (Kieler, Wis./Wahlert Catholic) of Loras are each earning their first all-conference accolades. Griffith, a senior setter averaged 10.66 assists/set to rank second in the conference. First-year defensive specialist, Tranel, averaged 5.06 digs/set on her way to ranking fifth in the conference.

Luther's Emma Veum (Eagan, Minn. / Eastview) is now 4-for-4 in all-conference selections. The senior middle blocker was also named Co-Freshman of the Year in 2015. During conference play this season she had a hitting percentage of .308 to rank third and her 2.87 kills/set average was good for ninth. Teammate Karissa Kime (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville) was also voted all-conference. Kime, a junior setter for the Norse compiled a hitting percentage of .215 in eight league games to rank 13th. Her kills/set average of 3.35 finished fifth in the conference standings.

The final all-conference member is Buena Vista’s Summer Goss (Treynor, Iowa/Treynor). Goss, a junior defensive specialist for the Beavers finished third in the league with a digs per/set average of 5.39. The Treynor prep also ranked 14th in service aces/set (.29). Don't forget to become a fan of the American Rivers Conference on Facebook @AmericanRiversConference, Twitter @AmerRiversConf, and Instagram @AmericanRiversConference.