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Lewis University Athletics

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Steve Woltmann

Women's Volleyball Luke Rinne, Director of Athletic Communications

19th Ranked Flyers Have Four Players Named AVCA All-Americans

Jamie Poppen was also named to D2CCA All-America Second Team

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University's 19th ranked women's volleyball team had four players named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America team on Tuesday (Dec. 7). Fifth-year senior libero Jamie Poppen (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway West) was named Third Team All-America while fifth-year senior middle hitter Ava Venema (Westmont, Ill./Timothy Christian), junior opposite hitter Juliana Van Loo (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) and sophomore setter Lauren Stenman (Maplewood, Minn./North St. Paul) were honorable mention selections.

Poppen, a First Team All-GLVC selection and the GLVC's Libero of the Year, picks up her first All-America honor. She led the team and GLVC in digs per set with 6.46 and recorded 775 digs. Poppen set Lewis' career record for digs with a career-high 50 digs last Thursday against Missouri-St. Louis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She is currently ranked third in Division II in total digs and sixth in digs per set. Poppen was voted the Baden GLVC Defensive Player of the Week on four instances this fall, earning the honor on Sept. 6, Sept. 27, Oct. 18 and Nov. 8, to finish with eight in her career. She was also named to the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) All-America Second Team on Wednesday (Dec. 8).

Venema, a First Team All-GLVC selection, earns her second AVCA All-America honors as she was a third team selection in 2019. She led the Flyers in hitting percentage at a .357 clip and in kills per set with 3.29. Venema is second in the conference in hitting percentage and fourth in kills. She had a season-high 18 kills in the four-set win over Indianapolis on Oct. 23 and had a career-high 11 blocks in the five-set come from behind win against Illinois Springfield on Oct. 5. Venema is also second on the team with her 0.97 blocks per set and leads the team in points scored with 3.96 per set.

Stenman, a First Team All-GLVC selection, earns her first All-America accolade after an outstanding sophomore season. She leads the GLVC in total assists (1,291) and assists per set at 11.23. Stenman ranks sixth in Division II in total assists and is eighth in assists per set. She led an offense that averaged 13.67 kills per set while hitting at a .241 clip. Stenman had a career-high 62 assists in the four-set win over Indianapolis on Oct. 23 and was named the GLVC's Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 25 after her performance against the Greyhounds.

Van Loo, a First Team All-GLVC selection, picks up her first All-America honor. She is third in the GLVC in hitting percentage at .352 and fifth in kills with 3.20 per set. Van Loo had a career-high 25 kills in the four-set win at Missouri-St. Louis on Nov. 6 and had at least 20 kills in a match four times this season. She was named the GLVC's Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 11 after her outstanding three-match performances against Illinois Springfield, Drury and Missouri S&T.

The Flyers finished their season with a record of 26-7, won both the GLVC regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 15th consecutive season.
 
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Players Mentioned

Jamie Poppen

#5 Jamie Poppen

L
5' 8"
Fifth Year
Lauren Stenman

#1 Lauren Stenman

S/RS
5' 10"
Sophomore
Juliana Van Loo

#6 Juliana Van Loo

RS/MH
5' 11"
Junior
Ava Venema

#27 Ava Venema

MH
6' 2"
Fifth Year

Players Mentioned

Jamie Poppen

#5 Jamie Poppen

5' 8"
Fifth Year
L
Lauren Stenman

#1 Lauren Stenman

5' 10"
Sophomore
S/RS
Juliana Van Loo

#6 Juliana Van Loo

5' 11"
Junior
RS/MH
Ava Venema

#27 Ava Venema

6' 2"
Fifth Year
MH