Back-to-Back: Colden Selected as NAIA Honorable Mention All-American

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

Photo Courtesy of Greg Spell/G-RoxPhotos.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After helping Reinhardt volleyball earn back-to-back trips to the NAIA postseason in Sioux City, Iowa, with the Eagles' run in the 2019 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, presented by Marriott South Sioux City River Front, Tessa Colden is the program's first two-time Honorable Mention All-American, the NAIA national office announced Tuesday.

The teams were chosen by the NAIA Volleyball All-America Selection Committee. This committee is made up of NAIA-AVCA officers and the championship committee.

Three teams were named, plus honorable mention. 

The senior outside hitter – who earned the same recognition a season ago – now owns two of the three honorable mention accolades in volleyball at Reinhardt, along with Denise De Vine (2013).

Colden was a staple of the Eagles' squad that claimed three-straight regular season Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) championships and back-to-back AAC postseason crowns en route the National Championship Final Site once again and a 33-5 overall record.

The Deland, Fla., native played in every match in 2019, including 125 games, where she accumulated a team-best 289 kills and a hitting percentage of .208.

Colden also had 52 aces on offense.

On the other side of the net, she gathered 400 digs and 13 total blocks.

To view the entire NAIA release, please click here.

Reinhardt now heads into another offseason after tasting postseason action within the NAIA, and the club hopes the past two experiences in Iowa will help lead to even more wins in 2020.

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For more information on Reinhardt Women's Volleyball, please click here.