Thompson, Belcher Earn 2023 First-Team All-Great Midwest Laurels

Ashland University senior libero Katie Thompson and junior outside hitter Makenna Belcher are 2023 first-team All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference selections, as the conference's postseason awards were revealed on Friday (Nov. 17) afternoon.
 
Thompson was in her fourth season as an Eagle starter this fall, and finished with 583 digs – third-most in a season in Ashland volleyball history. She added 120 assists and 36 service aces. Thompson's 1,862 career digs are second-most in Eagle volleyball annals, behind only Mary Kate Glowe's 1,969.
 
This is Thompson's fourth all-conference citation, having been second-team All-Great Midwest in 2022, first-team All-Great Midwest in 2021, and honorable mention All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in the spring of 2021.
 
Belcher is a first-team All-Great Midwest selection for the second consecutive season, following a 2023 campaign in which she recorded 428 kills, a .230 hitting percentage, 51 assists, 31 service aces, 359 digs and 44 total blocks.
 
She will go into the 2024 season with 786 kills and 635 digs, looking to become the program's fifth 1,000-1,000 player.
 
Ashland finished the 2023 season at 22-10 overall and 15-4 in the Great Midwest under first-year head coach Katie Kuhn, winning the conference's South Division title for the third consecutive season.