| Kendra Rowland | Kelsey Jewasko |
| Stefanie Robbins | Amber Brooks |
FRISCO ? Sophomore outside hitter Kendra Rowland and freshman libero Kelsey Jewasko led a quartet of Roadrunners named to the All-Southland Conference teams, the league announced on Tuesday.
Rowland and Jewasko were named to the 12-member first team, while junior middle hitter Stefanie Robbins and freshman setter Amber Brooks were honorable mention selections. Jewasko and Robbins picked up additional hardware, as they were tabbed Libero and Newcomer of the Year, respectively.
Rowland, a preseason first-team choice and second teamer a year ago, leads the league with 421 kills, 3.8 winners per set and 16 double-doubles this fall. The Antioch, Calif., native also has registered 306 digs (2.7 ps), 34 total blocks, 23 assists and 19 service aces. She has recorded double-figure kills in 25 matches this year, including an SLC season-high 24 on Sept. 10 against Georgia. Rowland earned SLC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 15 after she was named the Most Valuable Player of the DePaul Invitational.
Jewasko’s outstanding first campaign as a Roadrunner did not go unnoticed. The San Antonio native has registered a conference-leading 515 digs (No. 6 UTSA history) and has been in double figures in all but two matches. She has collected 20 or more digs eight times, including a career-best 27 on Sept. 27 against Texas State. Jewasko earned SLC Defensive Player of the Week honors following that performance. She is the first freshman to be named to the conference's first team since Meagan Daniel in 2003 and the first player in school history to pick up Libero of the Year accolades.
Rowland and Jewasko became the 13th and 14th players in school historyto be named to the league's first team and it marks the sixthconsecutive year that a UTSA student-athlete has represented theprogram on the SLC's top squad.
Robbins has been a key cog in the UTSA’s offensive and defensive attacks this season. The Three Rivers native leads UTSA and ranks 10th in the league with a .286 hitting percentage and she also is pacing the squad with 78 total blocks (10 solo/68 assists). The transfer from Blinn College, who also ranks second on the team with 262 kills, was named SLC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 20 after leading the Roadrunners to wins at McNeese State and against Stephen F. Austin. She is the third player in school history to pick up league Newcomer of the Year honors.
Brooks has made an immediate impact running the Roadrunners offense in her first campaign in navy blue and orange. The Alvin native has posted the second-most assists in the circuit (1,074) and ranks fifth in helpers per set (9.3). She has registered 50 assists five times this year, including a career-best 56 on Sept. 26 against UT Arlington, and 40 in 10 other contests. Brooks, who also leads UTSA with 39 service aces, has collected 218 digs, 93 kills and 37 total blocks this year.
The No. 3 seed Roadrunners (19-11) take on sixth-seeded McNeese State (11-17) at 11 a.m. on Friday at the SLC Tournament in Nacogdoches.
2008 All-Southland Conference Teams
First Team
Amanda Aguilera, UT Arlington
Mary Caitlin Bottles, Stephen F. Austin
Anna Ferguson, Sam Houston State
Lauren Holdroff, Lamar
Kelsey Jewasko, UTSA
Lauren Railey, Stephen F. Austin
Kendra Rowland, UTSA
Chloe Smith, Central Arkansas
Robyn Smith, Central Arkansas
Amy Weigle, Texas State
Jessica Weynand, Texas State
Emily Jones Wilkes, Texas State
Second Team
Kaci Brewer, Lamar
Lawrencia Brown, Texas State
Yelena Enwere, Northwestern State
Haley Thomas, Sam Houston State
Ashley Todd, Lamar
Chanel Tyler, McNeese State
Honorable Mention
Ashley Bailey, Stephen F. Austin; Nicole Bowden, McNeese State; Shalayne Blythe, Lamar; Amber Brooks, UTSA; Brittany Collins, Texas State; Genevieve Gladle, Lamar; Jessica Hays, Central Arkansas; Laurel Kuepker, Stephen F. Austin; Lauren Paslay, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Stefanie Robbins, UTSA.
Player of the Year: Chloe Smith, Central Arkansas
Newcomer of the Year: Stefanie Robbins, UTSA
Freshman of the Year: Jessica Hays, Central Arkansas
Setter of the Year: Robyn Smith, Central Arkansas
Libero of the Year: Kelsey Jewasko, UTSA
Katrinka Jo Crawford Coach of the Year: Steven McRoberts, Central Arkansas