« Volleyball 2018

Abby Thelen

School
Setan Hall University
Position
Outside Hitter
Major
Business Finance

Classroom

A business finance major, Abby Thelen is a two-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team member and a two-time Seton Hall Dean’s List member. She was Seton Hall’s candidate last year for a BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Excellence Award.

Character

Thelen is one of the highest-character individuals on the Seton Hall women’s volleyball team. She serves as a mentor to younger players, taking them under her wing, and teaches them what it takes to be a Division-I volleyball student-athlete both on and off the court. Thelen is a vocal leader, who is often guiding practices and taking charge during huddles in matches.

Community

Highly active in the community, Thelen is a three-year participant in a Food for Hunger drive, collecting items for the needy. She has participated with the “Reading with the Pirates” program for the last three years and helped collect food for needy families during Seton Hall’s “Thanksgiving Basket Drive.” Thelen is a volleyball clinic coach in the community surrounding the university, and each year, she participates in Seton Hall Move-In Day, in which she helps bring new freshman belongings to their dorm rooms. She participated in a “Christmas Gift Donation,” through which, along with family members, she adopted a family for Christmas, gave them gifts and spent time with them.

Competition

Named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, Thelen was the primary offensive option for the Pirates in 2017, leading the team in kills and kills per set for a second straight year. Her 430 kills last season ranked fourth in the BIG EAST Conference and are the most by a Pirate since 2014. Thelen was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll a team-high of four times, and she was named to the All-Tournament Team at three early season tournaments: the Oklahoma Nike Invitational, Seton Hall Classic and Redbird Classic.

As of nomination time, Thelen had recorded the first six double-doubles of her career this season and tallied at least 15 kills in a match 14 times, by far the most from any Pirate. There have only been four matches all season that she hasn’t reached double-figures in kills, and she had nine kills in three of those matches. On Sept. 1 against Butler, Thelen erupted to record career-highs of 24 kills and 21 digs against Buffalo. It’s the first 20-kill, 20-dig match for a Pirate in more than 13 years.

Named to the 2018 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, she currently, she ranks ninth in Seton Hall history with 1,070 kills.