FOREST, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Volleyball Team has seen four of its players named to the 2016 All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference Teams, ODAC officials announced Saturday. The all-conference teams were released following the 2016 ODAC Tournament Championship game, won by Randolph-Macon College.

Junior outside hitter Ali Singleton (Mount Jackson, Va.), was recognized with All-ODAC Second-Team honors while senior outside hitter Tristen Pennington (Kingsport, Tenn.), senior middle Kennady Thomason (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and senior libero Emily Hinshaw (Boone, N.C.) were selected to the All-ODAC Third Team.

Singleton earns her first all-conference award after posting a team-leading 278 kills on the year. She averaged 2.81 kills per set, hitting .305 and added 45 blocks and 68 digs. She reached double figures in kills 14 times, including a season-high 19 kills at Shenandoah on October 8. Singleton hit a blistering .750 (12-0-16) in the Wasps’ 3-0 victory over Hollins on October 20.

Pennington becomes the first Emory & Henry player to be named All-ODAC all four years. She averaged 2.25 kills and 2.86 digs per set, totaling 191 kills and 243 digs. Pennington chipped in 15 service aces and 14 blocks on the season as she finished her career with1,003 kills, 1,048 digs and 135 service aces. She reached double figures in kills on six different occasions and had double-digit digs in 11 matches. Her season-highs came as 14 kills against West Virginia Tech on Senior Night (October 28) and 24 digs against Virginia Wesleyan on September 17. Pennington finishes her career as the school record holder for kills, second in service aces and fourth in digs.

Thomason makes it three years of all-league recognition as she was a third-teamer as a sophomore and a second-team selection last year. She finished second on the squad with 220 kills and lied the team in blocking (82) while adding 21 service aces. Thomason hit .286 on the season with 2.22 kills per set. She hit .250 or better in 19 different matches including 18 with seven or more kills. She also had four or more blocks 10 times on the season, tying her career-high on November 2 against Lynchburg.

Hinshaw earns her first All-ODAC award and becomes the first Emory & Henry libero to receive the honor since 2012. She notched a career-best 4.26 digs per set on the year for a total of 405 digs, and added 34 service aces and 81 assists. Hinshaw reached double figures in digs in 22 matches and topped the 20-dig plateau on five different occasions. She finishes her career with an E&H record 155 service aces and sits at third on the all-time list at 1,368 digs.

Emory & Henry notched a 16-13 overall record this season with a 6-5 mark in ODAC play. The Wasps finished tied for fifth in the league and faced off against Lynchburg College in the ODAC Tournament Quarterfinals, falling by a 3-1 score.

Randolph-Macon's Erin Quinn and Bill Rogers were selected as the ODAC Player and Coach of the Year, respectively, as Rogers earns the honor for the third-straight season. Rookie of the Year also went to the Yellow Jackets as Miranda Hall was tabbed as the league’s top freshman. Carleigh Studtmann of Bridgewater College was voted as the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete.

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2016 ALL-OLD DOMINION ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
VOLLEYBALL TEAMS

Player of the Year: Erin Quinn, Jr., Setter, Randolph-Macon
Coach of the Year: Bill Rogers, Randolph-Macon
Rookie of the Year: Miranda Hall, Fr., Outside Hitter, Randolph-Macon
ODAC/Va. Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Carleigh Studtmann, Jr., Middle Hitter, Bridgewater

-photo courtesy of Joey Gass