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Basierak Named IIAC Freshman of the Year

Nov 2, 2012 | J.Crane

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) has announced its major award winners and all-conference team for the 2012 volleyball season. Wartburg College junior Ramey Sieck has been named the 2012 Iowa Conference Player of the Year, while University of Dubuque freshman Klaudia Basierak (Hainesville, Ill. / Grayslake) has been named the league's Freshman of the Year. Jennifer Walker, head coach of the conference champion Wartburg Knights, has been named Coach of the Year.

- Basierak Named Freshman of the Year and All-Conference -
Basierak, an outside hitter, led all IIAC players in kills with 526, averaging 3.95 per set and points scored with 595. Her 595 points came as a result of 526-kills, 45-service aces, 11-solo blocks, and 26-block assists. She ranked sixth among league players with her 45 service aces. The focal point of the Dubuque attack, Basierak set a UD single-season mark for total attacks with 1,740. She set a new UD freshman record with her 526-kills. Her kills total and kills-per-set average both rank fourth in program history for a single season.

Basierak ranked second only to teammate Meggie Schmidt among league players in double-doubles. She finished the season with 19 to Schmidt's 22. Basierak also set a UD single-match record for attacks with 79 against Coe on October 20th. The Spartans qualified for the IIAC Tournament for the second year in a row and played a home tournament game for the first time since 2004 when UD hosted the entire tournament. Basierak recorded a season high 27-kills in the Spartans first round loss to Luther giving her six 20+ kills games for the season. 

Basierak is the third recipient of the Freshman of the Year Award and first for the Spartans. In the 30 plus years of IIAC Volleyball UD has had two MVP’s (Lori Anda in 1982 and Jan Jacobs in 1983) and won the Coach of the Year four times (Lisa Herb in 1982, Connie Bandy-Hodge in 1992, Connie Bandy-Hodge in 1995, and Randy Dolson in 1999).

- Schmidt Named Honorable Mention All-Conference -
Sophomore Meggie Schmidt (Edgerton, Wis./Edgerton) earned Honorable Mention All-Iowa Conference recognition for her all-around game as the Spartans setter. Schmidt led the IIAC in double-doubles with 22. She also finished fourth in assists (1,134), fifth in service aces (47), and seventh in digs (447). Her 1,134 assists were the tenth highest total in school history. She currently ranks sixth all-time at UD with 1,584 career assists. 

Schmidt finished the season with ten games of 40 or more set assists and 18 games with 30 or more. She had a season high 46 assists against Presentation and Loras, both victories. Schmidt finished with at least 10 digs in 22 games including four straight to end the season. She finished with a season high 32-digs in the Spartans road win at Augustana early in the season. Also a threat to score when needed, Schmidt had a season high eight kills vs. Wheaton College and a personal best five aces vs. Augustana.

All-Iowa Conference Team — In contrast to past seasons, the coaches named just a single 15-member all-conference team in 2012. Of those, six have all-conference honors to their credit from previous seasons. Wartburg outside hitter Britlyn Sieck captured all-league honors for the fourth time to become just the 11th four-time all-league honoree and the third from Wartburg (Dia Dohlman, Rogers). She was a first-team selection in each of her first three seasons. Coe setter Emily Ryan, Loras outside hitter Regan Riley and Ramey Sieck were each honored for the third time. All were second-team pick in 2010. Riley remained on the second team in 2011, while Ryan and Sieck both jumped up to the first team. Coe outside hitter Rachel Schaefer and Wartburg middle hitter Kelly Niemann were both second-teamers last season.

Complete Team