5 PacWest players land on 2011 Daktronics NCAA Division II West Region Volleyball Team

SPOKANE, WA –A quintet of Pacific West Conference volleyball players have landed on the 2011 Daktronics NCAA Division II West Region Volleyball Team.

BYU-Hawaii freshman middle blocker Shih Ting Chen (Yunlin, Taiwan) and Hawai‘i Hilo senior middle blocker Hillary Hurley (Anderson, CA/Enterprise) earned First Team accolades and now will be placed on the national ballot. The All-American Team will be announced on Nov. 30.

Grand Canyon junior setter Kristen Preach (Phoenix, AZ/Xavier Prep) and senior MH Stephanie McBride (Newbury Park, CA/Newbury) were named to the Second Team along with Hawai‘i Pacific senior libero Kyra Pelayo (San Jose, CA/Saint Francis).

Shih Ting Chen Division II sports information directors representing colleges and universities eligible for NCAA II Championships nominate their student-athletes for the regional and national award. SIDs vote on the All-Region teams that are aligned with the Division II Championship structure. Athletes selected as a First Team choice are placed on the national ballot.

Chen, the 2011 Pacific West Conference Volleyball Player of the Year and an All-PacWest First Team selection, led the Seasiders to a 19-4 overall record, a 15-1 PacWest mark that included a league championship, and a berth in the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament.

BYU-Hawaii reached the semifinals after claiming a 3-1 quarterfinal-round victory over Seattle Pacific on Nov. 17 - the first post-season victory in the sport of volleyball for the PacWest since the league reformed in 2006-07.

Kristen Preach Chen finished the season ranked third in the PacWest in points per set (4.99) and in kills per set (4.51). She totaled 399 points on 361 kills, 18 aces, one block solo and 38 block assists. Defensively, she finished seventh in the PacWest in digs per set (3.65), totaling 292 on the season.

Hurley, who earned Second Team honors in 2010, jumped to the First Team this season with her outstanding campaign. She led the PacWest in kills (6.34) and points (6.88) per set while totaling 529.5 points on 488 kills (first in the PacWest), 13 aces, four block solos and 49 block assists.

Hurley capped her Vulcan career this season by picking up her third All-PacWest First Team selection. She claimed the honor in 2007 and 2010 – the same two seasons when she named the PacWest Player of the Year. Hurley also led the Vulcans to an NCAA II West Region Tournament appearance this season.

Stephanie McBride Preach earned West Region Second Team honors after finishing the season fifth in the PacWest in assists per set (9.20). In just her third season with Grand Canyon, the junior setter has claimed the 2009 Freshman of the Year honor, a 2010 All-PacWest Honorable Mention award, and a 2011 All-PacWest First Team selection.

McBride – an All-PacWest Second Team pick – completed her senior year ranked seventh in the PacWest in hitting. She posted a .296 percentage after collecting 205 kills with 58 errors in 496 attempts.

Her forte, however, was rejecting kill attempts. McBride led the PacWest in blocks per set, averaging 1.26 after totaling 117 in 93 sets. She recorded 25 block solos and 92 block assists on the season.

Kyra Pelayo Together, McBride and Preach were instrumental in the Antelopes reaching the NCAA II Tournament this season.

Pelayo will go down in HPU and PacWest history as one of the conference’s premier liberos of all-time. Her awards are numerous and include being named the 2010 PacWest Libero of the Year, All-PacWest Honorable Mention in 2009, All-PacWest First Team in 2010, and All-PacWest Honorable Mention in 2011.

This season she led the PacWest in digs per set (6.24) after totaling 599 in 96 sets. She also ranked fourth in aces per set (0.42) and finished the season with a total of 40.