SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento State senior outside hitter Eryn Kirby (second team), senior middle blocker Kelsey Elston (second team) and senior libero Breanne Menees (honorable mention) were each named to the Big Sky’s all-conference team, it was announced this evening at the league’s Big Sky Tournament banquet.
Each player started all 31 matches this season, and helped guide the Hornets to a 17-14 overall record and a third-place mark of 10-6 in the league’s standings. Sacramento State will begin play in the Big Sky Tournament’s semifinal round against Portland State tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. at the Stott Center in Portland.
Kirby received all-league accolades for the second straight year as she was an honorable mention selection last season. The Yuba City, Calif., native leads the Hornets in kills per set (3.08), points per set (3.60), kills per set against conference competition (3.28) and points per set against league opposition (3.81). She is also averaging 2.77 digs per set, and has 15 double-doubles which are tied for the second best mark in the league. She has posted double figures in kills in 22 matches, and double-figure digs 16 times. Among Big Sky leaders (in conference matches), she ranks fourth in kills and fifth in points. She now has 1,116 career kills, which ties her for the 14th best mark in school history with current assistant coach Sarah Chlebana.
Elston received all-league accolades for the first time in her career, and is currently averaging 1.85 kills and 1.10 blocks per set. Against conference opposition, the Rocklin, Calif., native raised her averages to 2.02 kills, 1.19 blocks and 0.26 aces per set while hitting .259. Among conference leaders, she ranks third in the league in blocks, ninth in aces and 10th in hitting percentage. A team tri-captain, Elston has hit better than .300 in 13 matches, including a stretch of six straight matches from Sept. 24-Oct. 8. For her career, she now has 466 total blocks, which ranks as the eighth best mark in school history.
Menees received honorable mention all-conference accolades for the second straight year after leading the Big Sky and ranking 24th in the nation with 5.43 digs per set. The Bakersfield, Calif., native has tallied double digits in digs in each of her last 22 matches, and has accumulated 17 matches with at least 20 digs. Against conference competition, Menees is second in the league with 5.56 digs per set (.01 per set behind the league leader) and eighth in service aces (0.27). She is now second in both Big Sky Conference and Sacramento State history with 1,923 career digs. She has served as the team’s libero each of the last three years and has raised her digs per set average from 1.46 as a freshman (when she was a defensive specialist), to 4.42 as a sophomore, 5.20 as a junior and 5.43 this season.
