The Empire 8 announced its 2011 Volleyball All-Conference team with junior outside hitter Sasha Zavadska of regular season champion Elmira College being named Empire 8 Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Savadska averaged 4.5 kills per set and hit .340 in conference play as the Soaring Eagles won six of seven conference matches. She led all players with 113 kills and added 55 digs in Empire 8 play. Overall, she is averaging 3.82 kills and 2.52 digs per set.
Senior middle hitter Brittany Raykoske of Elmira, a second-team selection last year, was named to the all-conference first team this season. She hit .363 in conference play, averaging 3.3 kills per set.
Junior outside hitter Maggie Kowalska of Stevens Institute of Technology was named to the all-conference first team for the third consecutive year. She averaged 3.0 kills and 2.8 digs per set as the Ducks finished tied for second place.
Senior middle hitter Becca Smith of St. John Fisher College averaged 2.7 kills and 3.2 digs per set, while hitting .263 in conference play.
Senior middle hitter Kate Thoene of Ithaca College repeated as a first-team selection, hitting .335 with 80 kills and 30 blocks, averaging 3.1 kills and 1.2 blocks per set in Empire 8 matches.
Senior middle blocker Courtney Desmond of Hartwick College was named to the all-conference first team for the first time after garnering honorable mention accolades twice in her career. She led all players with 2.0 blocks per set and averaged 1.7 kills in conference round robin matches.
Sophomore libero Kelsey Osborne of St. John Fisher was honored as the Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year. She finished with 68 digs in conference play.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2011 Volleyball Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
Empire 8 2011 Volleyball All-Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Sasha Zavadska, Elmira College
Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year: Kelsey Osborne, St. John Fisher College
Rookie of the Year: Maria Allocco, Nazareth College
2011 Volleyball All-Conference Release