Hudson Named National Player of the Year, Three Others Repeat as All-Americans (4-11-16)
Travis Hudson (Sr. – Wauwatosa) became the first player in National Collegiate Volleyball Federation history to be named the National Player of the Year three times when awards were announced after the Division I championship match on Saturday (April 11) in Louisville.
Hudson, a 6-6 setter, led the Titans to its third straight NCVF Division I title with a 25-21, 22-25, 15-13 victory over Penn State University in the championship match. UW-Oshkosh went 9-0 over the three-day event. Previously this year he was named the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference Player of the Year and a Midwest Ten Conference First-Team selection.
“Travis is the best player to have ever played collegiate club volleyball,” said head coach Brian Schaefer. “He led a bunch of unknowns to the national title in 2014, directed us to another title in 2015 and then helped a team overcome a ton of injuries, including one he was directly dealing with to another national title this year. It is an honor to coach somebody with so much passion for the UW-Oshkosh volleyball program, his teammates and the sport. He deserves every accolade he receives because of his dedication to be the ‘best’ in all areas of his life.”
Allen Grunert (Jr. – Muskego) was named an All-American First-Team selection for the second straight season after transferring from Cardinal Stritch University in 2015. The 6-5 right side hitter dominated opponents at the net with both his hitting and blocking all season. He was named a WVC First-Team selection and Midwest Ten Conference Second-Team honoree this season.
“Allen analyzes the game more than any other player on the team,” added Schaefer. “He never settles for being average and is very humble in recognizing that it is a team effort to win championships. Last year he hit every ball hard, but this year he developed more shots and a deadly jump serve that led to a lot of points for our team. With the injuries we had this season we had to find more ways to score points and Allen stepped up his game to lead us in that area.”
Tyler Range (Sr. – Kenosha) took home his second All-American First-Team honor after also winning the award in 2014. The 6-6 middle blocker was a go-to-hitter for the Titans and was a force at the net blocking the opponents attack. He was named WVC and Midwest Ten Conference First-Team and led the WVC in hitting percentage.
“Tyler has gone from an honorable mention all-conference high school player to one of the best middle blockers in the nation due to his drive for the game,” stated Schaefer. “He increased his strength this season and with that his vertical went up and his arm-swing got faster. There was a lot of pressure on Tyler to replace Jake Ahnert (First-Team All-American in 2015) and to lead our freshmen middle blockers. Many people do not give him enough credit for being a great teammate and committed player.”
Wesley Morioka (Sr. – Chicago, Ill.) rounded out the Titans All-Americans by being named Honorable Mention for the second straight season. He was named a WVC and Midwest Ten Conference First-Team selection this season as a 6-0 six-rotation left side hitter.
“Wes is a very underrated player,” said Schaefer. “He gets overshadowed by taller hitters, but pound for pound or inch for inch I would take him over all those other players. He gets described as being a robot because he is so technical in what he does on the court. He can do everything, and this year he had to for us to win the national championship.”
UW-Oshkosh now has 47 players that have combined to win 71 All-American awards, all but one coming since the 2003 season.
<< Back to 2016 News
|
|
|
|
News Archives
|
|
|
|
 |
|
