MOC's Busch named first-team All-America

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on April 1, 2005 1:54 PM

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MOUNT OLIVE - Mount Olive College outside hitter Heidi Busch was named to the 2004 Daktronics Division II Women's Volleyball All-America First Team, it was announced Thursday. The All-America award is the second for Busch, who earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention in 2003.

Busch, a 5-11 junior from Fort Wayne, Ind. (Concordia Lutheran High School), ranked second in the nation in total kills with 701 and her 5.56 kills per game average was the third highest in the nation. She recorded a .336 hitting percentage, which ranked fourth in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference.

Busch reached double figures in kills in each of her 36 starts in 2004 and matched a career high with 34 kills against St. Andrews. She also tallied 33 kills against Barton and narrowly missed a triple-double against regionally second-ranked California (Pa.) with 28 kills, 12 digs and nine blocks.

Busch was named to both the Daktronics and AVCA All-East Region first team and earned All-CVAC first team honors for the third consecutive year. Busch became the first player in CVAC volleyball history to be named Player of the Week four times during the same season. Busch was the 2002 CVAC Freshman of the Year.

Mount Olive posted a 24-13 record in 2004 and made its first-ever trip the NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship, earning the No. 6 seed in the Atlantic Regional. The Trojans finished second in the CVAC regular season standings with a 15-3 mark.

Busch was one of two outside hitters and six players overall named to the first team, joining players from three teams that reached the 2004 Elite Eight, including national champion Barry (Fla.).

The Daktronics Division II Volleyball All-America Team is voted on by sports information directors at NCAA Division II schools.