WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Continuing its success for the 2019 season, the nationally ranked Purdue volleyball team garnered a trio of all-region honors, announced today by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Grace Cleveland, Blake Mohler and Caitlyn Newton all were named AVCA All-Northeast Region first-team, marking only the second time in program history that Purdue has put three players on the AVCA All-Region first-team. The first came in 2015 with Annie Drews, Faye Adelaja and Danielle Cuttino all earning first-team accolades.
Following a unanimous All-Big Ten first-team selection, Cleveland earns her first all-region accolade after boasting 1.08 blocks per set and pacing Purdue with 123 assisted blocks on the year. Offensively, she is second on the squad with 389 kills and 3.87 kills per set. She is also second on the team with 42 service aces, including a league-best 33 aces through Big Ten play. Overall, Cleveland has tallied 22 matches with double-digit kills, 10 contests with five or more blocks and 10 matches with at least two aces. Cleveland is also Purdue's first sophomore to receive all-region accreditation since Danielle Cuttino in 2015.
This is Mohler's second straight season earning the award and it follows her consecutive All-Big Ten selection. The senior out of Ocean Springs, Miss., currently leads the Boilermakers in total blocks (134), solo blocks (21) and blocks per set (1.23), She also ranks second on the team with a .333 hitting percentage, while rating third with 240 kills and 319.5 points. Named Pre-season All-Big Ten, Mohler had 12 matches where she hit .400 or better and seven matches with at least five blocks. A four-year starter for the Boilermakers, Mohler currently owns 968 career kills and 492 blocks.
Newton, a six-rotation player, currently leads the Boilermakers in kills (427), kills per set (3.88) and points (511). The Terra Haute, Ind. native had 25 matches with double-digit kills and eight matches in which she hit over .300. She was recently named All-Big Ten first-team after she posted 252 kills and averaged 3.71 kills per set in league action. The outside hitter also guided the Big Ten with 0.46 aces per set. Defensively, Newton is second on the team with 15 solo blocks, while adding 161 digs and 41 aces on the year. The honor is Newton's first.
NCAA Regional
Purdue plays No.1 seed Baylor, Friday at 12 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Also in the regional are No. 9 Kentucky and No.8 Washington. Winners of both matches advance to the NCAA Regional Final, Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, also on ESPNU.