WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Nella Ioramo, a sophomore outside/middle attacker for the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Volleyball team, has been named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) second team All-American Team.
“I am incredibly proud of Nella being named an NJCAA All-American,” Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. “She helped us remain as one of the top programs in the country again this year, and it is a direct result of the effort she put in during the spring and summer prior to the season.”
The 6-foot, 2-inch outside/middle attacker from Union City, Calif., left an indelible imprint on the Grizzlies’ stat book this season. She recorded 553 kills on 1,342 attempts with 220 errors for a season attacking percentage of .248 and 3.98 kills per game. She also had 28 service aces, 288 digs, 2.07 digs per game, 61 total blocks (16 solo blocks), 619.5 points earned and 4.5 points per set.
“Nella had a tremendous sophomore season for us, leading us offensively in kills, kills per set, total points and points per set,” Wiedemann said. “The improvement she made in her ability to play six rotations and to terminate the ball from her freshman to sophomore year was amazing. Even during the course of this season, she improved from 3.21 to 4.97 kills per set during the last half of the year, which is extraordinary.
“I couldn’t be happier for Nella,” Wiedemann continued. “The hard work and commitment she put into improving as a player has been fun to watch. This is an example of hard work paying off in many ways, and knowing her, she will continue to push herself to keep getting better. The time and effort it takes to improve as a player cannot be taken for granted, and Nella made it her goal to be that kind of a player. This is a wonderful honor for her, and it caps off a great season for Grizzly Volleyball.”
For a full list of this year’s All-American honorees, visit www.njcaa.org. For more information about the Grizzly Volleyball team, visit the team’s website at http://wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/vb/.