Mountaineers Pick Up Four AVCA All-Region Awards
By Garrett Christensen on Monday, December 5th, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – (Release from Eastern Oregon University) The AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) announced the 2022 NAIA AVCA All-Region Awards on Friday, Dec. 2. Eastern Oregon had three players earn honors while Head Coach Kaki McLean Morehead earned the Coach of the Year award for the Northwest Region.
“I am so proud of these girls and this team,” McLean Morehead said. “I am so excited for them, but we still have to focus on the task at hand.”
The honorees are selected by the NAIA Selection Committee. The country is broken down into 10 regions and each region receives 14 All-Region spots and eight Honorable Mention honors. Each region also selected seven “of the year” award winners.
Earning All-Region honors were senior hitters Cambree Scott and Preslee Jensen, while junior middle hitter, Kara Clayton, also earned one of eight All-Region Honorable Mention spots.
All three players earned First Team All-Conference honors in the CCC.
Scott has added yet another stellar year to her resume leading the nation in blocks with 1.44 and 168 total on the year. As well as dominating defensively at the net, Scott has also been a force offensively ranking second on the team in kills with 268, averaging 2.76 per set. The All-Region award is Scott’s third as she continues to add to her already long list of accolades.
Jensen has had a breakout year leading the Mountaineers in kills in her final season. The senior out of Vale, Ore. has totaled 304 kills averaging 2.76 per set on .218 hitting. Defensively she has tallied 68 blocks averaging .62 per set. This year’s AVCA All-Region award is her first.
Clayton, a newcomer for the Mountaineers in 2022, has stepped in to make an instant impact as a First Team All-CCC honoree. The Junior has been a force at the net as well as at the service line where she ranks second on the team in service aces with 28. Offensively she leads the team in hitting percentage hitting .298 on the year with 223 kills at a clip of 1.97 per set. Defensively she has combined with Scott to help make Eastern the best blocking team in the country. She currently ranks seventh in the nation in blocks per set with 1.3 and 147 total on the year. Like Jensen, the AVCA All-Region recognition is Clayton’s first.
Earning Coach of the Year honors for the second time this season, McLean Morehead has led the Mountaineers to one of their best seasons in program history if not their best season outright. The 2022 season has seen the Mounties go on two double-digit win streaks. The first was a 19-match win streak coming after dropping the opening game of the season. The second, which they are currently on, sits at 14. Sitting at 33-2 on the year and heading into the NAIA Tournament quarterfinals, McLean Morehead has led the Mounties to a Regular Season CCC Championship as well as a CCC Tournament Championship. On top of those impressive numbers, the Mounties bench boss has also led Eastern to its first ever No. 1 ranking in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Eastern Oregon has sat at the top of the rankings since mid-September as the nations top team in the last four polls.
Although end of season awards continue to be announced, the Mountaineers still have work to do as they enter bracket play of the 2022 NAIA National Tournament. The No. 1 seeded Mounties went 2-0 in pool play beating St. Xavier and Cornerstone earning a spot in the quarterfinals. EOU is scheduled to take on No. 21 Marian University tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. CST.
