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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa volleyball student-athletes Jess Janota, Annika Olsen, and Taylor Louis were selected to the All-Big Ten honorable mention team, the conference office announced Tuesday. It is the first time since 1989 that three Hawkeyes have earned a conference award.
“We are so proud of the progress that our program has made and the great contribution of each of these fantastic student-athletes,” said UI head coach Bond Shymansky. “We will miss Jess and Annika and their senior leadership, and we look forward to another strong year from Taylor. Our program continues to be a place of growth and transformation.”
Janota ranked second on the team with 274 kills and a .304 attack percentage. The Concord, Ohio, native amassed 173 kills and 63 blocks during Big Ten play. Janota had 12 matches with double-digit kills, 16 matches with above a .300 attack percentage, and 12 matches with over a .400 attack percentage. Janota collected her 1,000th career kill against Northwestern on Oct. 21 and finished her Iowa career with 1,080 kills, a mark that ranks No. 16 in the record books.
Olsen, who also received the Sportsmanship Award, led the Big Ten with 555 digs and 4.83 digs per set. She recorded 343 digs and 4.90 digs per set in Big Ten action. The senior from Johns Creek, Georgia, reached double digits in digs in 30 matches, including a career-high 29 digs twice, at Indiana on Oct. 11 and against Illinois on Oct. 20. Olsen had 10 matches with 20-or-more digs this season. Overall, Olsen finished her career ranked No. 5 in program history with 1,556 career digs.
Louis led Iowa with 386 kills and had a .248 attack percentage while chipping in 54 blocks. The Evanston, Illinois, native registered 235 kills, 33 blocks, and 78 digs during Big Ten competition. Louis had 12 matches with above a .300 attack percentage, six matches with above a .400 attack percentage, five matches with above a .500 attack percentage, and two matches with above a .600 attack percentage.
