ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia University put six players on the 2008 Volleyball All-Northern Sun Conference First Team, announced today by the NSIC office.  The Golden Bears also took three of the four NSIC season awards.  Maggie McNamara has been named Offensive Player of the Year, Mary Slinger is Defensive Player of the Year and head coach Brady Starkey is the 2008 NSIC Coach of the Year.

NSIC Coach of the Year:
Brady Starkey is in his sixth season with the Golden Bears of Concordia University and has brought the team to unrivaled heights.  Entering the season as the winningest active DII coach (by percentage, min. 5 yrs as a DII coach), Starkey has guided his 2008 Golden Bears to a 28-1 overall record and a flawless mark of 19-0 in the NSIC.  His teams have won the NSIC title all six years under his direction.  This is the fourth NSIC Coach of the Year award for Starkey.

Offensive Player of the Year and All-NSIC First Team:
Maggie McNamara (Zumbrota, Minn.) leads the NCAA in assists per set for the third consecutive season with a current average of 13.33 assists per set.  She was named the NSIC Setter of the Week five times throughout the season.  McNamara has guided the team to an NCAA high 15.27 kills per set and a hitting average of .306.  She is also the team’s third-leading defender with 246 digs on the year (2.41/set).  This is the third All-Conference bid for the CU junior.

Defensive Player of the Year and All-NSIC First Team:
Mary Slinger (Faribault, Minn.) has been the leading defender for a Concordia squad that has held opponents to just a .136 hitting percentage and only 10.29 kills per set.  She has a team high 482 digs on the year, an average of 4.73 per set. Slinger has gone into double figures for digs 30 times this season and has posted 20+ digs in seven matches.  She was named NSIC Defender of the Week on October 6.  This is the second year that Slinger, a junior, has been named All-Conference

All-NSIC First Team:
Maria Steinhagen (Alexandria, Minn.) has racked up 282 kills her senior season and surpassed the 1,000 career kill point in October.  She is hitting at a .338 average with 2.76 kills per set (3rd on team) and leads the squad in blocking.  Steinhagen has 104 blocks this year, which is third best in the league (1.02/set).  She has 21 ace serves.  Steinhagen was named All-NSIC First Team last season and Honorable Mention in 2006.

Senior Whitney Meierotto (Washburn, Wis.) is the second-leading hitter and defender for the Golden Bears this season.  She is averaging 3.47 kills per set with 354 total kills on the year and a .288 hitting average.  She has 340 digs for an average of 3.33 per set.  Meierotto has 13 double doubles on the season, including seven of the team’s past eight matches.  Her season high kill total stands at 18 (9/19 vs. UIU) and her best dig performance is 30 (11/4 vs. UMD).  This is the second All-NSIC First Team bid for Meierotto.

Junior Sadie Kessler (St. Michael, Minn.) is one of the leading rightside hitters in the conference and is Concordia’s fourth leading hitter with 232 kills on the year.  Kessler is hitting at a .346 average and tops all Golden Bears with 25 ace serves.  She is also averaging 2.04 digs per set (188) and has 70 blocks.  Kessler has gone into double figures for kills ten times in 2008.  She is also the outlet setter and has 77 assists. 

Sophomore Emily Palkert (Excelsior, Minn.) leads the NSIC and the Golden Bears in hitting this season with 383 kills (3.79/set) and a .364 hitting average.  Her hitting percentage has ranked among the top 20 in the country all season.  Palkert has gone into double figures for kills 23 times with a season high 20 kills twice on the year.  She has 79 blocks.  Palkert made the All-NSIC First Team last season and was the 2007 Freshman of the Year.

Offensive Player of the Year: Maggie McNamara, Concordia-St. Paul
Defensive Player of the Year: Mary Slinger, Concordia-St. Paul
Freshman of the Year: Devin Diedrich, Southwest Minnesota State
Coach of the Year: Brady Starkey, Concordia-St. Paul

NSIC All-Conference First Team

Honorable Mention