Dec. 6, 2011

AVCA All-Region Teams

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Missouri State volleyball player Carly Thomas was recognized Tuesday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association with an honorable mention spot on the all-Central Region team.

The sophomore from Swansea, Ill., is Missouri State's 14th AVCA all-region performer and third in the last three seasons. The Central Region includes schools from Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota and South Dakota.

A first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference selection, Thomas led the conference with 11.23 assists per set and posted 22 assist-dig double-doubles on the season, the most for an MSU player since 1990. The setter posted 10 kills, 48 assists and 18 digs in the regular season finale at Illinois State, becoming the first MSU player with a triple-double in those categories since 2006, and had consecutive matches of at least 50 assists and 20 digs earlier this season, just the 11th and 12th such performances in school history.

Thomas ranks 24th nationally in assists through Dec. 4 and led all MVC setters with 3.11 digs per set in 2011. She was the MVC Player of the Week Sept. 26, Oct. 10 and Nov. 7 of this season.

The Bears finished the season 22-9 overall and 15-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time since 2003. Missouri State has reached 20 wins for 13 consecutive seasons, the seventh longest active streak in the NCAA.