Lundberg leads 4 Seawolves on All-GNAC squad

SPOKANE, Wash. (Nov. 15) – Senior Cortney Lundberg led four Alaska Anchorage players named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference 2010 volleyball all-conference team Monday.

Lundberg, a 6-1 middle blocker, was a first-team honoree, and was joined by second-team selections junior Jackie Matthisen and freshman Robyn Burton, plus honorable-mention choice McKenzie Moss.

A second-team All-GNAC choice as a junior last year, Lundberg ascended to the first team after ranking No. 2 in the 10-team league in both attack percentage (.344) and blocks per set (1.17). After missing eight matches due to injury early in the season, the Hardin, Mont., native returned to record six matches with a plus-.500 attack percentage, helping the Seawolves (18-8) finish in third place in the league and capture their second straight NCAA Tournament berth.

Matthisen, a 5-11 outside hitter who was a first-team selection as a sophomore in 2009, made the second team after averaging a team-best 2.75 kills per set and ranking second on the Seawolves with 2.76 digs per set. The East Anchorage High School product finished the season with a team-high seven double-doubles, including 20 kills and 10 digs in UAA’s Oct. 30 home victory over league co-champion Seattle Pacific.

Burton, a 5-11 middle blocker, leads the GNAC and ranks among the top 10 in the NCAA Division II national stats with 1.26 blocks per set. The Chugiak High School grad is also No. 6 in the GNAC with her .305 attack percentage. Burton becomes the first Seawolf freshman to earn selection to the All-GNAC first or second teams in the conference’s 10-year history.

Moss, a 5-11 outside hitter, ranks second on the Seawolves and No. 12 in the GNAC with 2.59 kills per set. The junior from Anchorage’s Bartlett High School is averaging 2.51 digs per set and was the GNAC Player of the Week for Sept. 20-26 after leading UAA to a victory over league co-champion Western Washington. She was also an all-tournament pick at the Western Oregon Invitational in early September when UAA knocked off then-No. 2-ranked Cal State-San Bernardino.

The all-conference teams are chosen by a vote of the GNAC’s head coaches.

The Seawolves begin postseason play Thursday at 11 a.m. Alaska time when they face Western Washington at the NCAA Div. II West Regional Championships in San Bernardino, Calif. That match will be videostreamed live and feature live stats, both available by clicking on the Calendar tab on the GoSeawolves.com homepage.