Koeper nabs all-OVC No. 3

~ The Southeast senior was honored on the first team for the second consecutive year.

Former Jackson High School standout Jessica Koeper will finish her career as a three-time all-Ohio Valley Conference selection.

Koeper, a senior outside hitter at Southeast Missouri State, on Wednesday was named to the all-OVC first-team for the second year in a row after she made the second team as a sophomore.

Voting was done by the OVC's head volleyball coaches and sports information directors.

"It's great for Jessica, and she is absolutely 100 percent deserving of all the awards she has won," Southeast coach Renata Nowacki said.

The 5-foot-11 Koeper ranks second in the OVC in kills per game (4.48) and points per game (4.82).

Koeper has 1,509 career kills and 1,370 career digs. She ranks second on the school's all-time Division I kills list and is fifth all-time in digs.

On Southeast's single-season Division I lists, Koeper is eighth with her 497 kills this year, and her 458 digs place her sixth.

"She's worked her butt off for everything she's accumulated here," said Nowacki, whose squad plays Murray State tonight in the first round of the OVC tournament in Jacksonville, Ala. "She was talented, but she wasn't the kind of player who comes in from the beginning and doesn't have to do anything.

"Every year she's worked harder and harder and it's paid off. She's had a tremendous career and hopefully she can keep it going a while longer in this tournament."

Another former area high school volleyball star, Murray State senior middle blocker Holly Jansen, was named to the all-OVC second team. Jansen leads the Racers in kills with 378.

Jacksonville State, which won its first OVC regular-season title by becoming just the seventh team in OVC history to finish with a 16-0 league record, claimed three of the conference's four major individual awards.

Abbey Breit was selected player of the year, Rick Nold was tabbed coach of the year and Brittney Whitten was named freshman of the year.

Murray State's Heather Norris took home defensive player of the year honors.

Joining Koeper and Breit on the all-conference first team were Tennessee State middle blocker Meesha Jackson, Jacksonville State setter Emily Withers, Eastern Kentucky libero Brittany Nobilio, Eastern Kentucky outside hitter Jessica Sabath and Murray State middle blocker Katie Kemezys.