Photo Credit: Ryan Borde PSU's five all-conference selections. From L to R: Hamilton, Phillips, Vojnovic, Fradella and Jepsen.

CHENEY, Wash. – Portland State's Nique Fradella was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year at the conference's awards banquet this evening. The event was held at the Red Lion Hotel At The Park in Spokane. 

The senior setter from Lake Arrowhead, Calif. leads the Big Sky in assists (11.60 aps) and service aces (0.36 saps). After earning second team all-conference honors in each of her first three seasons, Fradella becomes the second Viking ever to earn the Big Sky's top honor, joining Jessica Brodie in 2006.

Fradella ranks second all-time, and sixth in the Big Sky, in career assists.

Teammate Whitney Phillips, a transfer from New Mexico State, was named the Big Sky's Top Newcomer. A junior outside hitter from Scottsdale, Ariz., Phillips took the conference by storm this year and has six of the top nine individual kill performances, including a conference-best 28 at Weber State on Sept. 25.

Phillips has led the Big Sky in kills and points for much of the year and continues to do so with averages of 4.95 kps and 5.29 pps. Her kills per set average is currently the second-best ever at Portland State and ranks her fourth in the nation.

Fradella and Phillips were the only two unanimous selections to the first team. They were joined by Chelsea Bair of Weber State, Chenoa Coviare and Hayley Hills of Eastern Washington, Jaimie Thibeault of Montana, and Allison Raguse of Northern Colorado.

PSU senior middle blocker Erica Jepsen definitely was worthy of first team consideration, but was voted to the second team. The Kennewick, Wash. native leads the Big Sky in blocks (1.52 bps) and ranks second in hitting percentage (.353). Her .385 mark in conference matches leads all players.

Two other Vikings were named to the honorable mention team. Senior OH Marija Vojnovic (Belgrade, Serbia) and junior MB Christie Hamilton (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) were two of 10 players to earn honorable mention status.

Hamilton is sixth in the Big Sky in blocking, averaging 0.94 bps, and eighth in hitting with a .295 percentage. Vojnovic is ninth in points (3.50 pps) and is also averaging 2.61 kills per set, second on the team.

Portland State's five selections were the most of any conference school and is also the most in school history since they joined the Big Sky in 1996. 

Northern Arizona's Kelli Dallmann (S/OH) was voted as the Outstanding Freshman, while Montana's Brittney Brown earned the Libero of the Year award.

The Vikings open up play at the Big Sky Championship tomorrow night at 5 p.m. against fourth-seeded Montana. The top seed, Portland State (20-7) is seeking its second consecutive tournament title and another trip to the NCAAs. The two-day Big Sky tourney is being hosted by Eastern Washington.