BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its annual volleyball awards on Wednesday. The 22-member All-Conference team was announced, along with the 2019 MIAC All-Sportsmanship Team. The All-Conference team and individual awards were nominated by and voted on by the MIAC's 12 head volleyball coaches, and each program selected one student-athlete for the Sportsmanship Team.

Junior middle hitter Erin Cutts earned MIAC All-Conference recognition in her second season with St. Catherine while senior outside hitter Emma Nelson was also recognized with end of the season MIAC honors as a member of the All-Sportsmanship team. 

In 83 sets, Cutts recorded 211 kills averaging 2.54 per set and an overall hitting percentage of .301 that placed her in the top five in the MIAC all season. From the service line, Cutts had 31 aces averaging .37 per set ranking her first on the team. The junior standout had a team-best 78 blocks, 11 of which were solo blocks this season and defensively contributed 57 digs. In just two seasons, Cutts ranks No. 7 in program history for blocks with 149 total. After this season, she ranks third overall for hitting percentage and is also in the No. 5 spot from last season at 0.290. In single-season blocks, Cutts ranks eighth in program history after this season and is also in the No. 14 spot from her sophomore season. 

In her last season with the Wildcat volleyball program, Nelson was impactful on and off the court. Nelson ranked first overall in kills this season with 251 in 93 sets. Nelson was second on the team defensively with 410 digs and fourth overall in blocks with 29. Nelson is No. 8 in program history for kills with 607, No. 5 in attack attempts with 2,346, No. 7 in career digs with 953 and tied for No. 13 with 70 career service aces. Aside from her success on the court, Nelson is a member of the Wildcat Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Executive Board and a captain on the Wildcat basketball team. 

As part of a continued conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC announced the 14th-annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for volleyball. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the court.

2019 MIAC Volleyball Awards

Player of the Year: Hunter Weiss | Saint Benedict (Jr. | Shakopee, Minn.)
Defensive Player of the Year: Ellie Meyer | St. Thomas (Sr. | Des Plaines, Ill. | St. Viator)
Rookie of the Year: Selena Levendoski | St. Thomas (Fy. | Clear Lake, Wis. | Clayton)
Coach of the Year: Thanh Pham | St. Thomas (17th season)