Farrah Repeats as AVCA All-Region Selection
Webster University junior libero Kristen Farrah (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) continued to add to her collection of 2019 postseason awards on Thursday as she repeated as an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-Central Region selection.
Thursday's All-Region honor from the AVCA came after Farrah repeated as the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's Defensive Player of the Year this past Saturday following the conclusion of the SLIAC Volleyball Tournament that was held in Greenville, Ill. Along with repeating as the league's Defensive Player of the Year, Farrah also earned repeat First-Team All-SLIAC honors and was named a SLIAC Defensive Player of the Week four times during the 2019 season.
Farrah was one of six Honorable Mention selections to the AVCA All-Central Region Team that is nominated and selected by coaches in the region. With her selection, she becomes the first-ever Gorlok volleyball to earn back-to-back All-Region accolades from the AVCA.
Farrah, who was the only player from the SLIAC to be selected an All-Region selection this season, repeats as an Honorable Mention AVCA All-Central Region selection after leading the SLIAC and finishing third in NCAA Division III in digs per set (6.61) and she was second in the league and 11th in Division III in total digs with 694. On the season, Farrah recorded double-digit digs in all 31 of Webster's matches, including having 20 or more digs in a match 22 times, including a Webster season-high of 42 digs in the Gorloks four-set win at Wartburg. In addition, she also had seven matches with 30 or more digs and closed out her collegiate career by recording double-digit digs in 64 consecutive matches.
In Webster's match against Iowa Wesleyan on Nov. 2, Farrah set the school's career mark for digs as she tallied 32 in the five-set win over the Tigers and closes her career with 1,975 career digs and is one of just two players in school history to record 1,900-plus career digs. Her 694 digs this season is second on the school's single-season chart. Farrah currently ranks third among active Division III volleyball players in career digs per set (6.25) and her 1,975 digs is 20th most among active Division III players. Over the last two seasons, Farrah has recorded 1,576 digs and has posted 20 or more digs in 45 matches and has tallied 40 or more digs in match five times since the beginning of the 2018 season. In addition to the 694 digs and the 6.61 digs per set average, Farrah also finished the season with 29 kills, 109 assists, and 13 aces and closed out her collegiate career with a double-double of 10 kills and 23 digs in Webster's five-set loss to Westminster in the semifinals of the SLIAC Tournament last Saturday.
Farrah's strong defensive play helped Webster lead the league and stand third nationally in Division III in digs per set as the Gorloks averaged 21.41 digs per set. Webster recorded 75 or more digs in 14 matches, including seven matches with 100 or more digs. The Gorloks are also second nationally in Division III in team attacks per set as they averaged 41.23 per set on the season.
Joining Farrah as Honorable Mention AVCA All-Central Region selections are Wartburg junior middle blocker Kylie Bildstein, St. Benedict junior setter Katie Koch, St. Olaf sophomore middle blocker Katelyn Lannom, Coe College sophomore setter Elli Teeple and Bethel (Minn.) sophomore setter/hitter Hannah White.
The 2019 AVCA All-Central Region Volleyball Team features St. Thomas (Minn.) sophomore setter Grace Anetipa, Bethel (Minn.) junior middle blocker Maria Claflin, Augsburg junior middle blocker Corrina Evans, Wartburg junior libero Katie Foster, Augsburg sophomore outside hitter Kayla Gjerde, Gustavus-Adolphus junior outside hitter Katie Holtan, WashU senior middle blocker Leila King, St. Thomas (Minn.) freshman middle blocker Selena Levandoski, St. Thomas (Minn.) senior libero Ellie Meyer, St. Olaf senior right-side hitter Lauren Rewers, Northwestern-St. Paul sophomore setter Sydney Schwitters, St. Olaf junior setter Lexi Wall, St. Benedict (Minn.) junior right-side hitter Hunter Weiss and St. Benedict (Minn.) junior middle blocker Madison Weiss.
Along with announcing the All-Region Team, the AVCA also named its individual awards from the Central Region as Hunter Weiss from St. Benedict was named the Central Region Player of the Year, while Selena Levendoski from St. Thomas (Minn.) was named the Central Region Freshman of the Year and Thanh Pham from St. Thomas (Minn.) earned Central Region Coach of the Year honors.
