Grace Volleyball: League Honors Fab Five
WINONA LAKE – Five members of the Grace College volleyball team were named to the postseason All-Crossroads League Team.
Sophomore Caylie Teel highlighted Grace’s award haul with a First Team nod, and senior Taylor Baird and sophomore Kelsee Zuidema were named Second Team. Junior Kari Feddema and senior Kaitlin Kerrigan were named honorable mention All-League to round out Grace’s winners.
Teel, a former star at Tippecanoe Valley High School, was recognized as one of the top defensive players in the league. She racked up 621 digs (5.2/set) as Grace’s libero. She got better as the season progressed, averaging 5.6 digs/set during league play. Teel also served at a 93.6 percentage with 16 aces.
Teel had double-digit digs in 31 matches, including 12 matches with at least 20 digs and one match with 31 digs. Her 621 digs ranked 10th-highest for a single season in team history.
Baird ended her career on a strong note as Grace’s setter. She produced 1,120 assists (9.2/set) to rank second in the league. Baird’s well-rounded season included 90 kills, 20 aces, 260 digs and 42 block points.
Zuidema was Grace’s most utilized attacker. She had 335 kills at a .135 percentage, taking nearly 500 more attempts than anyone else on the team. She also led the league with 39 aces and added 172 digs.
Kerrigan, an outside hitter, finished her senior season with 132 kills and 355 digs. She was one of only two players (Baird) to appear in all 122 sets of the year.
Feddema, a middle hitter, enjoyed a career-best season. She tallied 195 kills at a .191 percentage to go along with a team-leading 14 solo blocks and 64 block assists. Her 0.7 blocks/set rate tied for 10th-highest in the league.
Grace finished 14-19 overall, including an 8-10 mark in conference play, during the 2016 season.