Rock Valley College
Rockford, Illinois

Volleyball: Five Golden Eagles named All-Conference; Staupe Coach of the Year

Contact: Dave Costello (Admin), 815-921-4516

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Post-season honors continue to pour in for the Golden Eagles as five players have been named all-conference, while head coach Ben Staupe has been named Coach of the Year for the conference.

Kristy Bourquin (sophomore, Warren), Tailyr Negri (sophomore, Rockford Christian Life), Natalie Olsen (freshman, Dakota), Samantha Smith (freshman, Stillman Valley), and Lauren Habben (sophomore, Rockford Boylan) have all earned all-conference honors for the 2009 season. This marks the third year in a row that RVC has had five all-conference selections and RVC grabbed five of the 13 spots on this year's all-conference team. Bourquin was a repeat selection after earning the honor last season as a freshman. Bourquin, Negri, Olsen, and Smith were all named all-region this season as well.

Staupe earned Coach of the Year honors after leading RVC to a 38-6 record and a conference title with a perfect 12-0 conference record. They reached the regional championship match for the third straight season and found themselves ranked in the top five on the NJCAA Division III poll for most of the 2009 season, including a three week run in the top spot.

Staupe has now won Coach of the Year four times. He was Co-Coach of the Year in 2008 after winning the honor outright in 2007 and 2004.

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