Complete All-MIAC Team

WINONA, Minn. — A year ago, Saint Mary's University's Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) stood alone when the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its all-conference team.

This time around, Assimos has company on the conference's center stage.

For the second year in a row, Assimos' name was on the First-Team All-MIAC list when it was released on Wednesday — but this year, the senior setter had to make room on the podium for teammate Alex Peterson (Harmony, Minn.).

Assimos enjoyed a career year in 2013, recording a single-season, career-best 1,160 assists in helping the Cardinals to a 24-8 record — including a 6-5 conference mark — and their first post-season appearance since 2010.

As instrumental as Assimos was from the setting position, dishing out assists was just a piece of her amazing repertoire. Along with those 1,160 assists — tops in the MIAC — Assimos led all conference setters in kills (126), service aces (38), digs (277) and blocks (61).

Assimos, who has posted 1,000 or more assists twice in her four-year collegiate career, moved past Brittany Cherwinka this season and into the No. 2 spot all-time with 3,226 career assists. She recorded 40 or more assists 11 times in 2013 and 31 times as a Cardinal, while also posting a season-best 51 assists against UW-Oshkosh on Oct. 11.

In her first year as a Cardinal, Peterson made an immediate impact, leading the team in kills with 400, while adding 91 digs and 41 blocks. The sophomore outside hitter recorded 10 or more kills in 30 of the team's 33 matches, and eclipsed 20 kills in a match twice this season — collecting 20 kills vs. St. Olaf on Oct. 23 and a career-high 23 kills against Central (Iowa) on Oct. 4. Peterson's 23-kill match against Central (Iowa) on Oct. 4 was the most by a Cardinal this season and the most since Kara Grant recorded 26 kills against Clarke on Sept. 30, 2011.

Kelly Foley of defending national champion St. Thomas was named MIAC Player of the Year while Hamline's Lynsey Reimer and McKenna Reagan of St. Thomas were selected as Co-Defensive Players of the Year. Augsburg's Jane Becker, who guided the Auggies to a share of the regular-season conference title, earned MIAC Coach of the Year honors, with Carlee Hoppe of Bethel tabbed the conference's Rookie of the Year.

As part of the conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the eighth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for volleyball, which included SMU's Tayler MacVey (Dodge Center, Minn.).