Cazemier Named to All-Region Team (11/7/06)

BILLINGS, MT – For the second year in a row, Montana State-Billings volleyball player Alicia Cazemier has been named to the Daktronics All-Southwest Region Volleyball Team.  Cazemier, a junior middle blocker from Vauxhall, Alberta, was a second team selection last year as a sophomore.  She has been named to the all-region first team this year and will advance to the Daktronics All-America balloting.

Cazemier was named to the Heartland Conference First Team last week.  She followed that up by leading the Yellowjackets to the Heartland Conference title, earning MVP honors at the Heartland Conference Championship Tournament.  The Jackets will play in their first-ever NCAA Tournament starting Thursday. 

This season Cazemier has broken the school record for career solo blocks and is within five blocks of the school record for total blocks.  She also ranks in the top 10 in school history for kills, aces, block assists, attack percentage, kills average, and blocks average.

Three players are repeat selections on the 2006 Daktronics All-Southwest Region volleyball team.  Senior outside hitter Olivia Franceskini (SE Oklahoma State) makes the first-team for the second straight year while Cazemier and Drew Choules (Mesa State) are on the first-team after making the second-team last season.

Junior middle hitter Nicole Schwab of Fort Lewis is the SW Region Player of the Year. She already has been named the RMAC Player of the Year.

Sports information directors from within the region select the Daktronics all-region teams. First-team members move onto the national ballot and can earn All-American honors. This is the sixth year Daktronics has sponsored the Division II volleyball All-American and All-Region team.  Daktronics, with headquarters in Brookings, S.D., is an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition.

The complete team is listed below

FIRST TEAM
LIBERO
Lacie Allen, Jr., Central Oklahoma

MIDDLE HITTERS
Alicia Cazemier, Jr., Montana State-Billings (2nd team in 2005)
Nicole Schwab, Jr., Fort Lewis

OUTSIDE HITTERS
Kelli Bunger, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
Olivia Franceskini, Sr., Southeastern Oklahoma State (1st team in 2005)

RIGHT SIDE HITTER
Drew Choules, Jr., Mesa State (2nd team in 2005)

SETTER
Vicki Ibarra, Sr., Cameron

SECOND TEAM
LIBERO
Lauren Flynn, Fr., Texas A& M-Commerce

MIDDLE HITTERS
Heather Adams, Sr., Western State
Samantha Webber, Jr., St. Mary's

OUTSIDE HITTERS
Abbie Lowry, Jr., Abilene Christian
Fernanda Queiroz, Jr., Cameron

RIGHT SIDE HITTER
Megan Wittenburg, Sr., Metro State

SETTER
Libby Garza, Sr., West Texas A & M