UNK Athletics
Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney volleyball team has placed four players on the 2024 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American team and one on the Division II Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) All-American squad.
A panel of head coaches from around the country select the AVCA team with the D2CCA chosen by College Sports Communications (CSC). For both, a player must first make their respective all-region team.
UNK's four AVCA selections tie the program record (2004) for the most in one season. They are setter Peyton Neff (first team), middle Mia Berg (third team), libero Alli Wiese (third team) and outside hitter Asha Regier (honorable mention). Wiese is now a three-time AVCA All-American (2022 and 2023 h.m.) with Neff a two-timer (2023 h.m.). These are the first honors for both Berg and Regier.
Next, Wiese becomes the 11th Loper to earn CCA (previously Daktronics) All-American honors and the first in five years. This is her first time making the squad. Finally, since Rick Squiers took over the program in 1999, UNK has had 29 different players earn a total of 43 All-American honors.
Neff finished her third year as a starter averaging 12.4 assists, 2.5 digs, 0.7 blocks, and 0.5 kills per set while serving up 17 aces. One of three Lopers that appeared in all 112 sets, she guided an offense that averaged 14.6 kps and hit .258. Finally, Neff (North Platte) was one of five Lopers with at least 10 solo blocks and one of six with a double-digit ace total.
In her lone year in Kearney, Wiese (Mattawan, Mich.) averaged 5.5 digs per set with a team-best 34 aces, 92 assists and a .970 serve receive percentage. Playing in all 112 sets, her dig average is the second highest 29 years, and she completes a five-year career with 2,887 digs and 227 aces.
Next, Berg was UNK's top scorer (398.0 points) as she ranked second on the team in kills (3.1 per set) and first in blocks (1.2 per set). Hitting .318, she played in 104 sets and managed team-bests in both solo (26) and assisted (94) blocks. Offensively, Berg (Eureka, Mo.) was one of three Lopers to reach 300 kills.
That trio included Regier (Newton, Kan.) who led UNK in both kills (354) and kps (3.4). She finished the year strong once again, reaching at least 10 kills in the final 11 matches. That included a career-high 20 in the NCAA Tournament loss to Washburn. Also supplying 44 blocks, 87 digs, 12 assists and two aces, the multi-year starter ends a four-year career with 916 kills.
UNK (30-3) won the 2024 MIAA regular season title, was MIAA tourney runners up for a third straight season and made the NCAA's for a 25th consecutive fall.