LEXINGTON, Ky. -- For the second consecutive season, the volleyball program at Shawnee State has a AVCA-NAIA Women's All-Region Team honoree -- as Megan Steele, in her final season of playing the sport of volleyball as a senior for the Bears, earned her first career AVCA Honorable Mention All-MidSouth Region honor according to a release put out by national officials within the AVCA.

One of just 22 players across the Mid Central Region to be honored with such distinction by the AVCA, Steele earned the honor after a season where the senior amassed a fantastic 633 digs and posted a .948 service reception mark with just 36 errors in 686 total receptions defensively.

That total put Steele second in the River States Conference and 14th nationally in the NAIA in total digs -- as No. 4 delivered time and time again throughout the year. The Chillicothe native posted six matches where she tallied 25 or more digs, including 33 digs in a five-set triumph over Pikeville (Ky.) on Sept. 13 and 32 more in another five-set win over Indiana-East on Sept. 26.

Her efforts defensively allowed Shawnee State to post a 21-12 overall record during the 2025 season -- a record that proved to be Shawnee State's best since 2012.

It's a fitting conclusion to the career of the senior, who played in the front and back rows throughout her career. Steele finished her career with 1,489 digs and a .957 service reception mark -- ranking sixth all-time in program history in career digs and second all-time in career service reception percentage at Shawnee State.

Steele joins 2024 honoree Kylee Gifford and Macie Rhoads, the latter of whom who was honored earlier in the decade, as AVCA All-Region talents that Shawnee State volleyball head coach Devan Scarberry has led.

For more information on the Shawnee State volleyball program, visit https://ssubears.com/sports/womens-volleyball, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057197839907 or https://www.instagram.com/ssuvb/.