Wayne State College senior middle hitters Taya Beller and Maggie Brahmer were announced as All-Americans for the third straight season Wednesday morning by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Beller was selected AVCA All-American First Team for a third straight season while Brahmer received AVCA All-American honorable mention this season after collecting First Team honors the previous two seasons.
Beller, a 6-2 middle hitter from Lindsay (Humphrey HS), ranked second in the NSIC this season in kills per set (3.51), blocks (1.29) and points per set (4.52) and was third in hitting percentage at .349. She was an All-NSIC First Team selection for a fourth straight season and had 24 matches with 10 or more kills, highlighted by a career-best 28 kills at Winona State (10/8/24). Beller also recorded at least two blocks in all but one match this season.
Beller ends her Wayne State career as a three-time AVCA First Team All-America and All-Central Region selection, was named AVCA Central Region Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2022 to go with NSIC Offensive Player of the Year honors. She finished her Wildcat career ranking fourth on the all-time kills list with 1,545 and second in career hitting percentage at .369.
Brahmer, a 6-0 middle hitter from Pierce (Pierce HS), is a three-time AVCA All-Central Region selection and a four-time All-NSIC First Team selection for the Wildcats after leading the NSIC for a fourth straight season in hitting percentage this year at .381, which ranked 19th in NCAA Division II this season. She recorded 2.71 kills and 1.06 blocks per set, which ranked seventh in the NSIC and had at least two blocks in all but one match this season for the Wildcats.
Brahmer ended her Wildcat career as the school’s all-time leader in hitting percentage at .422, which ranks fourth all-time in NCAA Division II. She also had 1,346 career kills that currently ranks 14th all-time and was a D2CCA All-America First Team selection as a sophomore and junior.
Wayne State ended the 2024 season with a record of 23-7 overall and third place in the NSIC with a 14-4 league mark. The Wildcats are ranked 16th in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.
