Led by newly-crowned National Freshman of the Year Dana Rettke’s selection to the first team, three Wisconsin women’s volleyball players were selected to AVCA All-American teams on Wednesday.
Rettke is the first Wisconsin player to receive first-team All-American honors as a freshman. She is also the first Badger named the AVCA National Freshman of the Year.
First Badger freshman to be named a first-team All-American! Congratulations @dana_rettke pic.twitter.com/7g3766M4x6
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) December 13, 2017
Junior middle blocker Tionna Williams and freshman setter Sydney Hilley were named AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans.
Congratulations to @sydhil_ and @Tionna_q on earning honorable mention All-America honors! Time to celebrate! pic.twitter.com/brp5y7NKLM
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) December 13, 2017
Rettke, a 6’8 middle blocker from Riverside, Ill., set a new Wisconsin hitting percentage record in 2017, hitting .443, besting Haleigh Nelson’s previous record of .422 set in 2015. In addition, she set school records with 1.37 blocks per set and 4.39 points per set.
She also set seven Big Ten Conference season records, including 254 kills, .433 hitting percentage, and 102 total blocks.
In 2017, Rettke was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of Week nine times, Big Ten Player of the Week twice, and also took home Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year and AVCA Northeast Regional Freshman of the Year honors.