All-American volleyball team

The University of Minnesota-Morris’s volleyball team’s career kill leader earned her second All-American honor to cap off a sparkling four-year career playing for the Cougars. Marissa Ekness, senior outside hitter, was named  by the American Volleyball Coaches Association to the Division III Honorable Mention All-American list for the second year in a row. Ekness graduates with repeat honors as an All-Region (Central Region) player and now All-American. In her four years at UMM, she compiled 1,717 kills.

Ekness was joined by fellow senior Katie Reitsma (Sauk Centre/Padua) on the All-American honorable mention list by the AVCA. Reitsma, a libero who also earned All-Region honors this fall, was the first Cougars player to eclipse the 2,000-dig mark. The new program mark is 2,024 digs. She led the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference in digs this fall with 694.

And the best part? Both stand out college athletes are ##HumbleAndKind, qualities that seem to be harder and harder to find in today's world.

Gustavus Adolphus College’s Nora Holtan (junior setter) and the University of Northwestern’s (St. Paul) Lindsey Peterson (senior hitter) were named to the first team, with Peterson earning her second All-American First Team honor. Other Minnesota players named All-American were Whitney Lloyd (senior middle blocker) of the University of St. Thomas, Kate Holtan (freshmen hitter) of Gustavus Adolphus, Leesa Malone (senior setter) of UNW-St. Paul, Megan Pekarek (senior setter) of the College of St. Bendict and Kristin Stern (senior middle blocker) of Bethel University.

If you missed the November 9 article on Ekness's battle with Stage III melanoma in the Bonanza Valley Voice, please be sure to read it! If you don't get the newspaper, you are cheating yourself!! I consider that story a "top 5" story out of the 4,000-plus stories that I've written since joining the newspaper industry in 2003. Aside from a couple errors, I consider it one of my masterpieces. As I told her earlier today, I have read the story at least 20 times since the newspaper printed - and it brings me to tears at least every other time.

Thank the Lord! That she has mastered the art of conquering every day!

##ConquerEveryDay