Northwest Missouri State University's volleyball outside hitter Payton Kirchhoefer has been named the 2021 MIAA Freshman of the Year.
 
The No. 4-ranked Bearcat volleyball squad produced seven players that earned All-MIAA honors, including a trio of first-team selections. It marks the first time in program history the Bearcats have had three first-team All-MIAA honorees in the same year.
 
Kirchhoefer (Omaha, Neb.) becomes only the third Bearcat to be named MIAA Freshman of the Year. Kirchhoefer was joined on the MIAA First Team by junior outside hitter Kelsey Havel (Osage, Iowa) and sophomore setter Alyssa Rezac (Wahoo, Neb.).
 
Sophomore outside hitter Jaden Ferguson (Lincoln, Neb.), junior libero Hannah Koechl (Innsbruck, Austria) and junior middle hitter Rachel Sturdevant (Kansas City, Mo.) were named named to the MIAA Second Team.
 
Redshirt freshman middle hitter Abby Brunssen (Atkins, Iowa) secured MIAA honorable mention status.
 
Northwest's MIAA Freshman of the Year
Stacy Hoelscher, 1989
Lauren Cummings, 2004
Payton Kirchhoefer, 2021
  Payton Kirchhoefer (R-Fr., OH, Omaha, Neb.)
Kirchhoefer leads the MIAA in kills (400), kills per set (3.92), points (425.5) and in points per set (4.17). Kirchhoefer is moving her way up the Northwest freshman attacks and kills charts. She ranks No. 3 in freshman kills with 400 and No. 4 in freshman attacks with 1,029. Kirchhoefer is a two-time MIAA offensive player of the week honoree. She has 23 double-figure kills matches, including four 20-plus kill efforts. She twice tallied 26 kills in a match.
 
Kelsey Havel (Jr., OH, Osage, Iowa)
Havel ranks No. 2 on the team in total kills (259). Havel was named the MIAA offensive player of the week Oct. 4. Havel has produced 14 double-figure kill efforts, including a pair of 20-plus kill performances. She posted a season-best 22 kills in a five-set match with Central Missouri (Oct. 26).
 
Alyssa Rezac (So., S, Wahoo, Neb.)
Rezac leads Northwest in assists (1,049 – 11.66 assists per set). She ranks No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 5 in the nation in assists per set. Rezac regaled the UCO Bronchos with a career-high 66 assists and 16 digs in a five-set triumph in Edmond, Okla. She posted a phenomenal 48-assist, 24-dig effort in a five-set win over No. 5 Tampa (Sept. 4). Rezac sparked the No. 13 Bearcats to a 3-1 win over Pittsburg State. Rezac tallied a career-high 54 assists and added 19 digs in the four-set win against the Gorillas. Rezac had 60 assists, 10 digs, five blocks and three kills in a 3-2 win over No. 1-ranked Washburn. She has posted four matches of 60 or more assists in 2021. She has 13 double-doubles this season and 14 for her career.
  Jaden Ferguson (So., OH, Lincoln, Neb.)
Ferguson ranks third on the team in blocks (50). She ranks No. 4 on the Bearcats with 234 kills (2.46 kills per set). She has 11 double-figure kill performances this season.
 
Hannah Koechl (Jr., L/DS, Innsbruck, Austria)
Koechl has posted a team-best 483 digs (4.64 digs/set). She ranks No. 6 in the MIAA in total digs (483). She has reached double-figure dig totals in 22 of the 28 matches. She registered a season-high 38 digs in a five-set win over Grand Valley State (Sept. 10).
 
Rachel Sturdevant (Jr., MH, Kansas City, Mo.)
Sturdevant leads the team with 34 service aces. Sturdevant is hitting a team-best .321, which ranks No. 8 in the MIAA. Sturdevant has posted seven or more kills in 16 of the last 20 matches. She has posted 10 double-figure kill totals this season. She was honored Nov. 8 as the MIAA volleyball offensive player of the week.
  Abby Brunssen (R-Fr., MH, Atkins, Iowa)
Brunssen leads the Bearcats in blocks (71). Brunssen produced a season-high seven blocks in Northwest's 3-1 win at No. 10-ranked Nebraska-Kearney. She is credited the eighth-best attack percentage in a four-set match in Bearcat history against Missouri Western. Brunssen tallied a .562 attack percentage with 11 kills and two errors on 16 attacks in the four-set win over the Griffons. She has produced seven double-figure kill matches in 2021.
 
 
2021 All-MIAA Awards
Player of the Year: Audrey Fisher, MB – Central Missouri
Freshman of the Year: Payton Kirchhoefer, OH/RS – Northwest Missouri
Coach of the Year: Flip Piontek – Central Missouri

First-Team
Kersti Nix, OH - Central Missouri
Sydney Lierz, OH - Central Missouri
Audrey Fisher, MB – Central Missouri
Hannah Engelken, MB – Central Missouri
Ally Offerdahl, S – Central Missouri
Courtney Lane, OH/RS – Central Oklahoma
Emersen Cyza, OH – Nebraska Kearney
Anna Squiers, MB – Nebraska Kearney
Madison Squiers, S – Nebraska Kearney
Payton Kirchhoefer, OH/RS – Northwest Missouri State
Kelsey Havel, OH – Northwest Missouri State
Alyssa Rezac, S – Northwest Missouri State
Genna Berg, OH – Washburn
Kelsey Gordon, OH/RS – Washburn
Allison Maxwell, MB – Washburn
Allison Sadler, S – Washburn
Faith Rottinghaus, L/DS – Washburn

Second-Team
Hannah VanBuskirk, OH/RS – Central Missouri
Rylie Barnum, L/DS – Central Missouri
Jenna Karp, MB – Central Oklahoma
Amanda Desch, S – Central Oklahoma
Katie Le, L/DS – Central Oklahoma
Allie Kerns, OH/RS – Missouri Western
Ali Tauchen, MB – Missouri Western
Lauren Taubenheim, OH – Nebraska Kearney
Bailee Sterling, MB – Nebraska Kearney
Lindsay Nottlemann, L/DS – Nebraska Kearney
Riley Daugherty, OH – Newman
Jaden Ferguson, OH – Northwest Missouri State
Rachel Sturdevant, MB – Northwest Missouri State
Hannah Koechl, L/DS – Northwest Missouri State
Meg Auten, OH – Pittsburg State
Hope White, MB – Pittsburg State
Marissa Bates, L/DS – Pittsburg State
Sydney Fitzgibbons, MB – Washburn

Honorable Mention
Central Missouri: Aubree Bell – OH
Emporia State: Orianna Clements – OH/RS; Rylie Fornelli – L/DS
Fort Hays State: Claire Olson – RS; Rylie Tinder – OH/RS; Morgan Christiansen - MB
Missouri Western: Danielle Moje – MB
Nebraska Kearney: Cece Beahm – OH
Newman: Salome Romp – OH
Northwest Missouri State: Abby Brunssen – MB
Pittsburg State: Janae Thurston – RS
Washburn: Jalyn Stevenson – OH; Taylor Antonowich – OH/RS