LEXINGTON, Ky. – Western Carolina fifth-year senior and Southern Conference Player of the Year Merry Gebel added one more honor to a fantastic collegiate career on Wednesday morning as she was recognized as an honorable mention All-America selection by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
 
Gebel is the first player in program history to receive this award according to available AVCA and WCU records.
 
The Wildwood, Mo., product concluded her career with 1,693 kills to rank second all-time in program history. Her 1,461 career digs place her fifth on WCU's career digs list. In WCU's NIVC quarterfinal match against Southern Miss last week, Gebel recorded her 69^th double-double with 16 kills and a season-best 21 digs to close out her career on the court. 
 
An honorable mention AVCA All-Southeast Region Team selection, Gebel led Western Carolina during the regular season with 340 kills and 3.37 kills per set, the fifth-best seasonal average in the SoCon in garnering the conference's top player award. In the league opener against Samford on Sept. 20, she recorded a team-best 20 kills and has finished in double figures offensively in 22 of 28 matches played this season. Gebel was twice tabbed as the league's Offensive Player of the Week, collecting honors on Aug. 29 and Sept. 26, and earned a spot on the season-opening Wake Forest Invitational All-Tournament Team.
 
Additionally, Gebel tallied 238 digs defensively for a 2.36 per set – third on the WCU team – and tied her career-high of 18 digs in the regular-season finale against Furman.
 
A strong performer in the classroom, Gebel was also honored last month with College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors for the second time in her career.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount volleyball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts, @catamountvb), and Twitter (@catamounts, @catamountvb).