Janae Vander Ploeg (McDonnell) put together one of the greatest senior seasons by a Lumberjack student-athlete across any sport. In 2015, she became the first AVCA All-American in program history and just the second in Big Sky Conference history. She was also the first AVCA All-Region first team selection in Northern Arizona history.
 
McDonnell was the driving force of NAU's first Big Sky Championship squad in 16 years during the 2015 season. The 2015 squad finished 28-5 (15-1 Big Sky) and was inducted into NAU's Hall of Fame in 2022. That year, McDonnell became the first Lumberjack in 15 years to be voted the Big Sky Regular Season MVP and was also selected to the first team for the third time in her career. McDonnell was the first Lumberjack to be honored three times on the first team and the second to receive four all-conference honors. She would go on to win Big Sky Tournament MVP honors after leading NAU to its first NCAA Tournament since 1999.
 
"Being inducted into the NAU Hall of Fame fills me with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. It's a profound acknowledgment of the support and encouragement I've received throughout my athletic career from coaches, teammates, family, and friends," said McDonnell. "This honor serves as a reminder of the countless individuals who have played a role in shaping my journey, and I am deeply thankful for their belief in me. My time at Northern Arizona will always hold a special place in my heart and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to be a Lumberjack."
 
Individually, she broke NAU's single season kills record with 563 in 2015 on her way to setting the all-time career kills record with 1,626 which is seventh in conference history. When her time as a Lumberjack was done, she ranked first all-time in kills average (3.67), attacks (4,886), and sets played (443) while ranking fourth in career digs (1,228) and fifth in both aces (115) and double-doubles (47). She was the fifth player in program history to record both 1,000 career kills and digs.
 
To cap it off, McDonnell earned five career Big Sky Player of the Week awards, winning three consecutively in 2015 for the first time in conference history. In the classroom, she was a four-time Big Sky All-Academic honoree and Golden Eagle Scholar Athlete. In 2016, she was honored with the university's prestigious Gold Axe Award.