Mt. Spokane grade Kennadie Clute NAIA All-American in volleyball
Kennadie Clute, a Lewis-Clark State College junior from Mt. Spokane, is going to have to add a trophy case to her room at the rate she’s collecting postseason honors.
The Frontier Conference Newcomer of the Year and co-Player of the Year highlighted her 2015 awards by being named to the NAIA All-America first team in volleyball.
Clute, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter also named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Northwest Region Player of the Year and first-team selection, led the Warriors with 462 kills, which rank 30th nationally. The 3.95 per-set average ranks 18th nationally.
She also hit .289 and had 292 digs, both second on the team, with her 31 service aces and 60 blocks both third. Clute had double-figure kills in all but four matches, four of which were 20-plus kill matches.
Warriors teammate Treneisha Doyle from Vancouver, Washington, earned NAIA All-America honorable mention and first-team All-Northwest Region.
Clute and Doyle earlier received first-team All-Frontier Conference honors.
• Tori Bertsch, a Rocky Mountain senior setter from Post Falls, was named to the AVCA All-Northwest Region first team and Mattie Jo Johnson, a Northwest University sophomore middle hitter from Rosalia, received honorable mention.
College scene
Kavita Battan, a junior at Idaho, and senior Kourtney Guetlein and junior Kaitlyn Johnson, both of Washington State, have received National Soccer Coaches Association of America 2015 All-Pacific Region second-team honors. All are forwards.
The Cougars’ freshman keeper, Ella Dederick, and senior midfielder Cara Wegner were third-team selections.
Battan led Idaho with 25 points, her 10 goals fourth best in the Big Sky Conference. Guetlein had six goals and four assists and Johnson team-leading figures of seven goals and six assists for WSU. Dederick made 99 saves and had a 0.92 goals-against average while Wegner had five goals and three assists.
• Washington State received a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award for a second-consecutive season and 10th time in 12 years. The Cougars had a 3.14 GPA for the 2014-15 academic year. WSU placed eight on Pac-12 All-Academic teams.
• Aleisha Hawhaway, a junior from Shadle Park, and Kayla Bernsen, a senior from Moses Lake, played key roles as the Western Washington women’s basketball team upset No. 3-ranked Alaska Anchorage 71-62 in Great Northwest Conference play last weekend.
Hathaway had a career-high eight assists and seven points and Bernsen hit 8 of 10 shots in scoring a game-high 19 points and added seven rebounds. Hathaway leads the Vikings with 40 assists in eight games and Bernsen is averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds.
• Joellee Buckner, Western Washington’s sophomore opposite from Colville, had a double-double with a match-high 16 kills and 12 digs but it wasn’t enough as the Vikings were eliminated 3-0 by Wheeling Jesuit (West Virginia) in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships on Friday in Tampa, Florida.
Buckner, who had nine kills and 22 digs in a 3-1 quarterfinal win over Rockhurst (Missouri), finished the season with 257 kills (2.34 per set) and 391 digs (3.55). Brette Boesel, the Vikings’ redshirt freshman setter from Brewster, had 800 assists (6.78 per set).
Western (27-6) had the fifth most wins in program history and made it to the Final Four for the second time in nine NCAA tournament appearances.
High school scene
Timberlyn Short of Post Falls is among five high school juniors across Idaho named 2015 fall recipients of Interscholastic Star Student Recognition Awards presented biannually by the Idaho High School Activities Association and the United Dairymen of Idaho.
Short participates in cross country and tennis, is a member of the high school choir and drama club, and is involved in the Key and Forestry clubs as well as being a Link leader, a group of juniors and seniors dedicated to helping freshmen ease the transition into high school.
Among the other recipients is Chase Blazzard of Troy, who participates in football, basketball and track, is active in the high school drama club, FFA, choir and knowledge bowl. This year, he is student body vice president.
Winners were selected from a field of 10 that also included Kamm Mangum of Clearwater Valley and Casey Tighe of Orofino.
They are recommended by school administrators for their involvement in IHSAA-sponsored sports and activities as well as serving their schools and communities. Winners receive a $2,000 college scholarship and the IHSAA and Dairymen also contribute $1,000 to the recipients’ schools as well as $500 to the other finalists’ schools.
Letters of intent
Washington State track - Jenaya Pynn, women’s middle distance, Wellington, British Columbia; Sam Brixey, men’s hurdler/jumper, Capital of Boise.