Stevens Sweeps Yearly Awards; All-Conference Teams Announced
Top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology put five players on the all-conference team and swept the 2013 yearly awards. Senior
Samantha Gates was tabbed the Player of the Year while junior
Kirsten Salmins was chosen as the Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year.
Mary Tobin earned Rookie of the Year honors and Head Coach
Glenn DeHaven was voted the 2013 Coach of the Year.
Gates dished out 1100 assists and ranks first in the conference in assists per set (10.0 per set). She ranks second in total aces (61) and she also has 238 digs and 24 blocks in her stat line. Gates posted 30 assists or more in 21 matches and her season-high of 53 assists came in a five-set win against MIT on Sept. 7.
Salmins led Stevens with 642 digs, good enough for 5.78 per set. Her digs/set average ranks her 15th among Division III players. She has also dished out 45 assists and totaled 15 service aces. Salmins has registered double figure dig totals in 30-of-31 matches to date, including a season-high 43 digs against Houghton.
Tobin came on strong in her first season as a Duck. She has 306 kills in 100 sets played with a .334 hitting percentage per game), while picking 325 digs and 18 blocks. Tobin registered 21 matches with double figure kills. Her match high of 20 kills came in a five-set loss to Haverford. She currently leads the team in kills and ranks third in the conference in kills per set.
DeHaven, in his second year at the helm of the Ducks, picks up his first top-coaching honor. He has led Stevens to a 26-6 overall record and a perfect 7-0 mark in the Empire 8 regular season. In the national statistical rankings, the Ducks own the 40th best winning percentage in the country at .813. Stevens is also 64th in assists per set with 11.36, which is a direct result of a team hitting percentage of .218 to land 62nd nationally.
Stevens is ranked second in the New York Region and will host the Empire 8 Tournament this weekend, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks are looking to claim their fourth E8 Championship (2007, 2008, 2009) and make their return to the NCAA’s for the first time since 2010.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2013 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 2013 Volleyball All-Conference Teams