March 10, 2008

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Along with first-year head coach Matt Bollant, a trio of Green Bay women's basketball players earned Horizon League postseason honors Monday. Bollant gained co-coach of the year honors, sharing the award with Wright State's Bridgett Williams.

Green Bay junior guard Rachel Porath earned first-team all-league honors while senior Kayla Groh and junior Lavesa Glover each were named to the league's second team. Groh also was named an all-defensive team performer for the second straight year. All other Green Bay honors are the first of the players' careers.

Porath was among the national leaders for most of the season in field goal percentage, ranking as the top guard shooting percentage-wise in the country with her 56.1 percent clip. From three-point range, Porath is second in the country with 48.3 percent and ranks second on the team in scoring with 13.6 ppg.

Groh led Green Bay as a senior with 14.2 points per game and is the only player in the Horizon League to rank in the top 10 in all three shooting categories. Groh, who is also ranked in the league in assists, steals and assist/turnover ratio, shot a league-best 87.0 percent from the free throw line along with 48.8 percent from the field and 46.6 percent from three-point distance.

Defensively, Groh was third on the team in blocks and steals. More importantly, while averaging a team-high 33.2 minutes per game, Groh committed just 24 personal fouls in 29 games.

Glover was a steady presence for the Phoenix in her first year as a starter, scoring in double figures in 21 of Green Bay's 29 games. Glover, who finished the regular season third on the team in scoring, nabbed a team-best 5.9 rebounds per game. Glover recently posted the fifth-best scoring performance in team history with 34 points, all on field goals, against Wright State March 6.

Bollant continued Green Bay's tradition of Horizon League dominance in 2008, guiding the Phoenix to a 17-1 record in Horizon League play, setting a league record for most wins in conference play. Bollant and the Phoenix finished with a six-game lead in the final standings on the way to its 25-4 regular season record and its 10th consecutive Horizon League regular season title.

Milwaukee's Traci Edwards was named the Horizon League Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring (20.3 ppg) and rebounding (9.9 rpg). Wright State's Sheylani Peddy earned the league's Newcomer of the Year honor in aiding the Raiders to its second-place league finish by averaging 15.9 ppg.

First-year specialty awards Defensive Player of the Year went to Cleveland State's Dominique Butler while Sierra Crayton was tabbed the Sixth Player of the Year.

Green Bay begins the 2008 Horizon League Championship Wednesday, March 12 when the Phoenix hosts the winner of Monday's UIC/Loyola first-round contest. Should Green Bay win its Wednesday's contest, the Phoenix will host the remainder of the Horizon League championship, with semifinal play Friday followed by Sunday's title contest.

All-League First Team
Lade Akande, Butler
Kailey Klein, Cleveland State
Rachel Porath, Green Bay
Traci Edwards, Milwaukee
Sheylani Peddy, Wright State

All-League Second Team
Kayla Groh, Green Bay
Lavesa Glover, Green Bay
Jessie Miller, UIC
Agnieszka Kulaga, Valparaiso
Tiara Scott, Youngstown State

All-Newcomer Team
Brittany Boeke, Loyola
Keisha Collins, Loyola
Sheylani Peddy, Wright State
LaShawna Thomas, Wright State
Tiara Scott, Youngstown State

All-Defensive Team
Dominique Butler, Cleveland State
Kayla Groh, Green Bay
Turquoise McCain, Milwaukee
Sheylani Peddy, Wright State
Lauren Branson, Youngstown State

Player of the Year
Traci Edwards, Milwaukee

Co-Coach of the Year
Matt Bollant, Green Bay
Bridgett Williams, Wright State

Newcomer of the Year
Sheylani Peddy, Wright State

Defensive Player of the Year
Dominique Butler, Cleveland State

Sixth Player of the Year
Sierra Crayton, Wright State