University of New Hampshire senior Alyson Coler became the first player in the 13-year history of America East volleyball to win the conference's Player of the Year in successive seasons. Coler was honored on a night when repeat selections were the common theme at the conference's awards banquet. Northeastern University senior Kristin Ursillo was named Setter of the Year for the third-straight season. New Hampshire's Sasha Scott and Jill Hirschinger were also honored as Defensive Specialist and Coach of the Year, respectively, for the second time in as many years. University at Albany outside hitter Ashley DeNeal was named the America East Rookie of the Year. All voting was conducted by the conference's head coaches.
Coler helped New Hampshire to a 12-2 conference record and the No. 1 seed in the America East Volleyball Championship this weekend at the Wildcats' Lundholm Gymnasium. She is among the conference leaders in kills with 506, kills per game with 4.32 and digs with 353 (3.02 per game). Coler, who was also the conference's rookie of the year in 2000, owns the New Hampshire career records with 1,766 kills and 4,602 attack attempts.
Ursillo leads all America East players in assists with 1,376 and assists per game with 11.47 and is sixth in the conference with 50 service aces. She was a four-time Setter of the Week selection this season alone and has 4,474 career assists.
Scott, the Wildcats' libero, is second in America East in digs with 457 and second in digs per game with 3.87. She has 1,179 career digs.
Hirschinger has guided the Wildcats to a 21-11 record this season, making it the sixth time in the last seven years that her team has reached the 20-win plateau. She is 162-101 in her ninth season with the Wildcats and has guided the team to its seventh-straight conference championship appearance, winning titles in 1998 and 2002.
DeNeal ranks ninth in the conference with 37 service aces and is 10th overall in kills (307) and kills per game (3.20). She was a four-time Rookie of the Week selection.
Coler, Ursillo and junior outside hitter Stephanie Volckers of University of Hartford lead the all-conference team selections for the third-straight year. They are joined by sophomores Eileen Nicole Rodriguez, an outside hitter, and Ashlee Reed, a middle blocker, of Albany; junior middle hitter Anne Crocus of Binghamton University, junior middle hitter Jocelyn Teoh of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), sophomore outside hitter Erin Walker of New Hampshire, sophomore middle hitter Larissa Adomat of Northeastern and seniors Rachel Goldsmith, a setter, and Tesha Harry, a middle blocker, and junior setter Julie Zub, all of Stony Brook University.
Volckers ranks second in America East in kills per game with 4.65, is tied for fourth in digs per game with 3.46 and is tied for eighth in service aces per game with 0.39. Rodriguez leads the conference in service aces (140) and service aces per game (1.15) and is eighth overall in kills with 394. Reed is fourth in the conference in hitting percentage with .317. Crocus leads the conference with 1.50 blocks per game, is second overall in hitting percentage with .360 and is seventh in kills per game (3.26). Teoh leads all America East players in kills (600) and kills per game (4.96). Walker ranks fifth in the conference in kills per game (3.55) and in service aces with 51 (0.44 per game). Adomat ranks third in hitting percentage (.338) and in blocks per game (1.02). Goldsmith is fourth in kills per game with 3.89 and is 10th in service aces per game (0.37). Zub ranks second in the conference with 11.29 assists per game. Harry leads America East in hitting percentage at .371 and is fourth in blocks with 114.
The honorable mention selections are Scott, senior middle blocker Kelly McEathron of Hartford, sophomore outside hitter Leah Guidinger and junior middle blocker Brittany Howe of University of Maine, senior right side hitter Erin Ludwig of New Hampshire, and junior outside hitter Rebecca Holland of Northeastern.
The all-rookie team includes DeNeal and Blair Buchanan of Albany, Ashley Meffert of Binghamton, Brooke Truong of Maine, Katie Weidner of New Hampshire and Whitney Turner of Northeastern.
Nine of the 12 all-conference selections will be in action this week at the America East Volleyball Championship held at New Hampshire’s Lundholm Gymnasium. No. 2 Stony Brook plays No. 3 Northeastern at 4 p.m. Friday (November 21) in one semifinal while No. 1 New Hampshire plays No. 4 Albany at 7 p.m. in the other. The winners advance to the America East Championship game Saturday at 4 p.m. The winner of the America East Championship receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship.