HADLEY, Mass. - Wesleyan sophomore outside hitter Lisa Drennan (Ann
Arbor, Mich.) has been named the 2006 NESCAC Player of the Year, as
determined by the conference coaches. Drennan helped her Cardinal
team to a 7-3 conference record this season along with the
number-two seed and a semifinal showing in the 2006 NESCAC
Volleyball Championship.
Drennan set a new single-season record at Wesleyan for kills per
game this year, averaging an impressive 5.56 kills per game on 528
kills in 95 games up front for the Cardinals. Drennan not only led
the NESCAC this season in kills but also ranks among the top five
players in NCAA Division III in the category. Along with leading
the conference in kills, Drennan sits among the leaders in hitting
percentage (.308) and service aces (0.72 per game), ranking third
in both categories. In addition to earning 2006 Player of the Year
honors, Drennan came away with NESCAC All-Conference First Team
accolades after placing on the Second Team a year ago.
Three other 2005 Second Team selections, Amherst teammates senior
middle hitter Kristin Quinn (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) and junior
outside hitter Jaclyn DeMais (Hillsdale, N.J.) along with
Connecticut College sophomore outside hitter Caitlin Tomaska
(Solana Beach, Calif.), joined Drennan on the 2006 NESCAC
Volleyball All-Conference First Team.
The Jeffs’ Quinn and DeMais garnered First Team honors after
leading Amherst to a 27-4 overall record and the 2006 NESCAC
Volleyball Championship, the third NESCAC Volleyball title for
Amherst in program history and the first since 2000. The First Team
selection marks the fourth year in a row that Quinn has received
NESCAC recognition, as the former 2003 NESCAC Rookie of the Year
garnered First Team honors as a sophomore in 2004 and Second Team
membership last year. Quinn ranks second in the nation with a .471
hitting percentage while ranking among the leaders in the NESCAC in
blocks per game (1.75, 1st) and kills per game (3.89, 3rd). DeMais
closely follows Quinn statistically this season, ranking fifth in
both hitting percentage (.282) and kills (3.62).
Tomaska followed up her 2005 NESCAC Rookie of the Year performance
by helping the Camels achieve a 20-9 overall record and a 7-3
showing in conference play this season, advancing to the semifinals
of the 2006 NESCAC Volleyball Championship this past weekend.
Tomaska led Connecticut College in kills for the second year in a
row with an average of 3.37 per game while also leading the team in
digs with a 4.79 average. Both figures put her among the league
leaders in kills and digs.
Williams senior setter Alexis Knepp (Austin, Texas) was the only
holdover on the 2006 NESCAC All-Conference First Team from last
year. Knepp tallied 1,016 assists in 2006 for a per game average of
10.16, fifth among all NESCAC players, as the Ephs posted a perfect
10-0 conference slate. Rounding out the 2006 NESCAC All-Conference
First Team is Tufts senior outside hitter Kelli Harrison (Blue Jay,
Calif.). Harrison is second among NESCAC student-athletes in kills
per game at 4.32 and second among her teammates in digs, averaging
3.63.
Kendall Kirby (Piedmont, Calif.) of Colby came away as the NESCAC
Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. The
senior libero led the NESCAC in digs again this season with an
average of 6.61 digs per game, well above her league-leading 5.27
from last fall. Rookie of the Year honors went to Williams outside
hitter Melissa Pun (San Francisco, Calif.). Pun was second among
the Ephs this season in a variety of categories, including kills
(3.28) and digs (3.69) per game, while her .280 hitting percentage
was highest among first year players and seventh among all NESCAC
individuals.
After guiding the Ephs to a 10-0 conference record and the
number-one seed in the 2006 NESCAC Volleyball Championship,
Williams head coach Fran Vandermeer was the choice among the
coaches for NESCAC Coach of the Year. It is the first time that
Vandermeer has received the league’s Coach of the Year
award.
