CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The 2023 All-American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Volleyball Team as voted by the league’s head coaches: 
 

2023 All-American Rivers Conference Volleyball Team
Most Valuable Player - Addie Thomas, Nebraska Wesleyan
Defensive Player of the Year - Colleen Kenney, Central
Coaching Staff of the Year - University of Dubuque Head Coach: April Elsbernd Assistant Coach: Karrah Davis Graduate Assistant: David Beach
Most Valuable Player	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Addie Thomas ! -h2	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Jr.	OH	Elkhorn, Neb./Elkhorn
Defensive Player of the Year	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Colleen Kenney	Central College	So.	L	Taylor Ridge, Ill./Rock Island Alleman
All-Conference	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Avery Rexroat	Central College	So.	S	Macomb, Ill./Macomb
Grace Lueken ! -h2 -h3	Coe College	Sr.	MH	Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert Catholic
Maddy Maahs !	Coe College	So.	S	Epworth, Iowa/Western Dubuque
Madi Parson # ! $ * -h4	Coe College	Fifth Year	Pin	Clinton, Iowa/Camanche
Gracie Urbatsch	Coe College	Jr.	MH	Grafton, Iowa/Saint Ansgar
Ashlee Adler	University of Dubuque	Sr.	OH	Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights
Emma Powell ! $ -h3	University of Dubuque	Sr.	OH	Eldridge, Iowa/North Scott
Payton Uptagraft	University of Dubuque	So.	MH	Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh North
Autumn Finch	Loras College	So.	OH/MB	Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown
Sara Hoskins -h1 -h2	Loras College	Sr.	S	Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley
Sarina Stortz -h1 -h2	Luther College	Sr.	MB	Mabel, Minn./Mabel-Canton
Molly Ramirez	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Fr.	OH	Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley
Elecea Saatoff	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Fr.	S	Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Lutheran
Emily Williams	Simpson College	Fr.	OH	Malvern, Iowa/East Mills
Allison Feigenbaum !	Wartburg College	Jr.	MH	Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar
Honorable Mention	School	Year	Position	Hometown/High School
Skylar Cole	Buena Vista University	Sr.	S	Storm Lake, Iowa/Storm Lake
Elyse Johnson	Central College	Sr.	MH	Kirksville, Mo./Kirksville
Katie Wright	University of Dubuque	Sr.	DS/L	Stockton, Ill./Stockton
Sophie Younkin	Loras College	So.	MB	Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown
Emma Kowalcyk	Luther College	Jr.	S	Colgate, Wis./Catholic Memorial
Jaclyn Riedl	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Fr.	OH	Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West
Nyah Chambers -h1 -h3	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Fifth Year	MB	Lincoln, Neb./Norris
Peyton Mitchell	Simpson College	So.	MH/OH	Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial
Iman Ghalibaf -h1 -h2	Simpson College	Sr.	DS	Irving, Texas/Ranchview
Caroline Kluesner !	Wartburg College	Fifth Year	DS	Dyersville, Iowa/Beckman Catholic
Previous Honors
# - 2022 Most Valuable Player
! - 2022 All-Conference
-h1 - 2022 Honorable Mention
$ - 2021 All-Conference
-h2 - 2021 Honorable Mention
* - 2020 All-Conference
-h3 - 2020 Honorable Mention
-h4 - 2019 Honorable Mention

 
The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced today that Nebraska Wesleyan outside hitter, Addie Thomas (Jr., Elkhorn, Neb./Elkhorn), has been selected as the league’s Most Valuable Player. Central College libero, Colleen Kenney (So., Taylor Ridge, Ill./Rock Island Alleman), has been named Defensive Player of the Year. University of Dubuque head coach, April Elsbernd, and assistants Karrah Davis and David Beach, earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors. In addition to the major awards, the conference also announced the 15-member All-Conference team. 
 
Thomas, in her junior season, becomes a two-time All-Conference honoree, in addition to being named an honorable mention performer in 2021. Thomas’ name will go down as the first in the Prairie Wolf program to earn MVP honors since joining the conference in 2016. This is the third major award, though, for Nebraska Wesleyan where Thomas joins Kennady Klein (2022 Defensive MVP) and Taylor Crandall (2016 Freshman of the Year). The junior helped guide the P-Wolves to a runner-up finish in the league with a 7-1 record, on falling to the regular season champions, University of Dubuque, in a five-set thriller. The Elkhorn, Nebraska native posted a prolific season. Thomas finished the conference slate first in kills/set, recording 128 in 27 sets and also led the league in points, with 143.5. Additionally, she guided a strong Nebraska Wesleyan defense recording 84 digs, averaging 3.11 per set. Thomas was named A-R-C volleyball player three times this season. 
 
This year, Kenney was named to the All-Conference team for the first time while picking up the A-R-C Defensive Player of the Year honor. Kenney is becoming the first major award winner for the Dutch since the 2005 season when Katie Pederson picked up MVP honors. This is the 13th major award for the Central volleyball program, dating back to their first in 1983. The sophomore libero helped lead the Dutch to a 4-4 record in league play, earning the No. 5-seed of this year’s tournament. She recorded 151 digs (5.21 per/set) and only ten reception errors throughout the conference schedule. 
 
In her 15th season at the helm of the University of Dubuque volleyball program, Elsbernd and assistants Davis and Beach led the Spartans to their first regular season title since 1995 and third overall with a perfect 8-0 conference record. Dubuque led the league in blocks through the conference slate, recording 55. Elsbernd is earning her second Coaching Staff of the Year honor and it is the sixth in program history. 
 
Along with Thomas, Nebraska Wesleyan placed two players on this year’s All-Conference team, Molly Ramirez (Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) and Elecea Saatoff (Fr., Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Lutheran).
 
Ramirez, an outside hitter, recorded 2.19 kills/set, to rank third on the P-Wolf squad. She recorded 15 blocks and 30 digs, only posting one reception error throughout the conference slate. Saatoff, the Nebraska Wesleyan setter, performed impressively during her freshman campaign. She recorded 280 assists, averaging 10.37 assists/set, while also picking up 41 digs and five blocks over 27 sets played. 
 
Autumn Finch (So., Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown) and Sara Hoskins (Sr., Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley) are recognized on this year’s All-Conference team. Finch, an outside hitter and middle blocker, led the defensive front for the Duhawks over 31 conference sets played this season tallying 36 digs and 21 blocks. Additionally, she recorded 84 kills and a hitting percentage of .309. Hoskins, the Loras setter, is earning her first spot on the All-Conference team after being named honorable mention a season ago. The senior posted 292 assists, 9.42/set. She recorded 107 digs, 3.45/set and 12 blocks to end her strong career. 
 
Ashlee Adler (Sr., Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights), Emma Powell (Sr., Eldridge, Iowa/North Scott), and Payton Uptagraft (So., Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh North) earned All-Conference honors for the 2023 A-R-C regular season champions, Dubuque Spartans. Adler, earning her first All-Conference honor, recorded 135 digs, 93 kills and seven blocks over 32 conference sets this fall. Powell, earning her third All-Conference honor after being named to honorable mention in 2019, had an impressive campaign. Powell recorded 109 kills and 15 assists on the offensive front for the Sparatans. Defensively, she recorded 102 digs (3.19/set) and 13 blocks. Uptagraft is earning All-Conference performer honors for the first time in her career after her sophomore campaign. The sophomore posted a hitting percentage of .338 to lead the Spartans throughout the conference slate. Additionally, Uptagraft recorded 12 blocks and five digs. 
 
Although missing the A-R-C tournament for the first time ever, Wartburg’s Allison Feigenbaum (Jr., Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar) had another impressive season, earning her second career All-Conference honor in her third season for the Knights. Feigenbaum serves as the Knights middle hitter. On the offensive side, Feigenbaum posted 84 kills over 30 sets. A defensive force, she tallied 22 blocks and 18 digs to lead the way for Wartburg. She posted the third best hitting percentage in the league, .355. 
 
Simpson placed one on the All-Conference team after posting a 4-4 record to earn the No. 4-seed in the conference tournament. Emily Williams (Fr., Malvern, Iowa/East Mills), an outside hitter, led the Storm on both the offensive and defensive side. On offense, she posted 88 kills over 29 sets. She was the primary driving force on defense recording 64 digs and ten blocks. 
 
Central’s setter, Avery Rexroat (So., Macomb, Ill./Macomb) joins Kenney on the All-Conference team for the 2023 season. Rexroat tallied 90 digs, 30 kills, and eight blocks over the 29 conference sets played for the Dutch. This is her first All-Conference honor. 
 
Sarina Stortz (Sr., Mabel, Minn./Mabel-Canton) is earning her first All-Conference for the Norse after earning honorable mention honors a season ago. Stortz, a middle blocker, led the way for Luther on both sides of the ball this season where she recorded 102 kills (3.64/set) and 25 blocks over 28 conference sets played. 
 
Rounding out the All-Conference team, the Coe College Kohawks have four players recognized on this year’s All-Conference team, Grace Lueken (Sr., Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert Catholic), Maddy Maahs (So., Epworth, Iowa/Western Dubuque), Madi Parson (Fifth Year, Clinton, Iowa/Camanche), and Gracie Urbatsch (Jr., Grafton, Iowa/Saint Ansger). Lueken, a middle hitter, is earning her second consecutive All-Conference nod after being named honorable mention her first two seasons. Lueken posted a .364 hitting percentage totaling 74 kills. Additionally, she recorded 32 digs and 12 blocks. The setter, Maahs, is earning her second All-Conference honor in her second season. Over 25 sets, she recorded an average of 10.80 assists/set, for a total of 270. Defensively, Maahs tallied 72 digs and four blocks for the Kohawks. The 2022 MVP, Parson, is a three-time All-Conference performer, additionally earning honorable mention honors in 2019. Parson led a strong front on the defensive side where she recorded 102 digs (4.08/set). Additionally, she knocked down 34 kills. Urbatsch had a strong junior season for the Kohawks where she posted a .427 hitting percentage with 65 kills while also recording 18 blocks and 11 digs.