Ally Gruber Named Region 13 Player of the Year; Passa Coach of the Year

NDSCS Volleyball cleaned up in awards following a perfect run through conference and regional play with sophomore Ally Gruber being named league Player of the Year. Classmates Kortney Carney and Kaitlyn Emmil joined Gruber on the All-Region 13 Team.

Head coach Jane Passa, who won her 600^th game on Monday, becoming just the 17th NJCAA volleyball coach to ever reach the mark, was named the Region 13 Coach of the Year.

Gruber leads NDSCS in kills (173) and blocks (74). The Lake Superior State signee has nearly doubled her kills per set average, while also increasing her hitting percentage, blocks per set and digs by set.

Carney led the region in assists and is seventh nationally with 707. She also received an NJCAA National Player of the Week award during the regular season. Emmil is at 142 kills and counting. She's also fourth in the region with a .308 hitting percentage. Emmil has more than tripled her kill total from last year, one of several sophomores that have matured into major roles.

The Cats won the Mon-Dak Conference champion and Region 13 title. They'll play for the Northwest Plains District championship on April 2-3, hosting North Platte (Neb.) for a trip to the NJCAA D2 National Tournament in Cedar Rapids.