Northern Illinois University seniors Sarah Angelos (Waukegan, Ill./Waukegan) and Justine Schepler (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) and junior Mackenzie Roddy (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) were selected to the Academic All Mid-American Conference Team, the league announced Friday.
Angelos earned a spot on the team for the third consecutive season, while Roddy took academic all-conference honors for the second-straight year. Meanwhile, Schepler earned a spot on the team after garnering honorable mention honors each of the past two seasons.
“It’s a great honor for our players to be recognized for their commitment both on the court and in the classroom,” said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. “We are extremely proud of our Huskies.”
Angelos, a business administration major with a 3.395 GPA, finished the season with a team-best .305 attack percentage, while ranking second in kills/set (3.48), blocks/set (0.80) and points (3.52 points/set) on her way to being named first team All-MAC.
The senior ended her career as the NCAA’s active career leader in sets played (514), while breaking the school record. She also became the 20th Huskie in program history to earn 1,000 kills in a career in a 3-1 win over Belmont. Angelos ranked seventh in the MAC with a .326 attack percentage in conference matches and accumulated 16 matches with a .300 or greater hitting average, including a .591 clip against Kent State on Oct. 26 and a .500 mark against Eastern Michigan on Oct. 4.
MacKenzie Roddy
Roddy, who boasts a 3.951 GPA in business management, led the team and ranked fifth in the MAC with 3.48 kills/set in conference contests, while accounting for a team-high 483 points – 3.93 per set and 15.09 per match – en route to first team all-conference honors. In November, she became the 21st player in program history to record 1,000 kills in a career. On defense, Roddy ranked second on the team with 2.63 digs/set and 23 service aces on the year.
Schepler, an accountancy major with a 3.867 GPA, paced the Huskies and ranked 10th in the MAC with 4.45 digs/set in her first full season at libero. The Sycamore native had 10 matches with 5.0 digs/set or more, along with recording a perfect 1.000 receiving percentage in eight matches during the conference season and on 16 occasions during the entire year. Against Central Michigan on Oct. 5, she posted a season- and career-high 28 digs. In serving, Schepler registered six service aces on the year, including four in the three-match NIU Invitational.
In addition, junior Emily Paschke (Winfield, Ill./West Chicago Community) and redshirt freshman Lauren Zielinski (Oak Forest, Ill./Marist) earned honorable mention recognition.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for student-athletes who have excelled in both athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the meets that season. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.
