All-MIAC Volleyball Release

WINONA, Minn. — Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and Morgan Thomas (Palos Park, Ill.) have found themselves in the spotlight—together—all season for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team.
 
In four regular-season tournaments, the Cardinals' dynamic duo was named to all four all-tournament teams.
 
In early October, the pair swept MIAC Athlete of the Week honors—Blattner as the hitter and Thomas as the setter/libero.
 
And both have been among the conference's leaders in several statistical categories all season long.
 
So when the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its All-MIAC team on Wednesday, it came as no surprise that the Blattner-Thomas duo was once again making headlines.
 
Blattner and Thomas, who helped guide the Cardinals to a fourth-place regular-season finish—and their fourth consecutive MIAC Playoff appearance—were among the 22 athletes selected to the conference's All-MIAC First Team. It was the first all-conference honor for both.
 
Gustavus' Nora Holtan was named MIAC Player of the Year, while Macy Terhell of Augsburg and St. Thomas' Ellie Meyer were tabbed Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, respectively. Augsburg's Jane Becker, who led the Auggies to the regular-season conference crown, was named MIAC Coach of the Year.
 
Blattner had a remarkable sophomore season for the Cardinals, not only leading the team—but the entire conference—in kills (195) and kills-per-set (5.00) in 11 MIAC contests. Blattner also added five aces, 107 digs and seven blocks in conference play.
 
Overall, Blattner's numbers were equally as impressive, compiling 440 kills (4.54 kps), while adding five assists, 19 aces, 248 digs, and 24 blocks. The sophomore outside hitter, who recorded 20 or more kills in a match seven times this season—including a school-record 31 kills in Saint Mary's regular-season meeting against Bethel on Oct. 21—also owns a team-high 12 double-doubles.
 
Thomas made the most of her final season in a Cardinal uniform, finishing among the conference leaders in digs with 202 and digs-per-set (5.18)—while also adding 47 assists and 15 aces—in 11 conference matches.
 
Thomas appeared in all 29 matches for the Cardinals, posting a team-best 514 digs—including the Cardinals' top five single-match dig performances of the season—while also delivering 117 assists and 43 aces. The senior libero, who posted a season-high 32 digs against Dubuque on Sept. 16, earned her first collegiate double-double with 18 digs and a career-high 10 assists against Gustavus in the team's regular-season finale on Oct. 29. Thomas' 514 digs are not only a single-season career high, but also rank sixth all-time.
 
As part of the conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the 10th annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for volleyball, which included Saint Mary's Leah Scheevel (Harmony, Minn.)