HUNTINGDON, Pa.- As the #1 AVCA-ranked Juniata women's volleyball team prepares for the NCAA Tournament, the Landmark Conference All-Conference teams have been announced, with seven Eagles being named and the team earning Player of the Year, Specialist of the Year, and Coaching Staff of the Year.
Middle hitter Mackenzie Coley, libero Kiona Sky Rousset-Hernandez, and setter Olivia Foley have been named to the Landmark's All-Conference First Team, while outside hitter Kennedy Christy, outside hitter Audrey Muth, opposite hitter Lily Podolan, and middle hitter Courtney Williams earned All-Conference Second Team honors.
Additionally, Coley was named Player of the Year for the second time, Rousset-Hernandez earned her second consecutive Specialist of the Year award, and Heather Pavlik with Casey Dale, Erin Smith, Kate Hutton, Jeremiah Burden, and Emma Pinkston earned recognition as the Conference's Coaching Staff of the Year. Pavlik earned the award for the seventh time as a head coach.
Mackenzie Coley is a Landmark Player of the Year and First-Team All-Conference Player for the second consecutive season. It's the third straight season that she has landed on an all-conference team. Entering NCAA Tournament play, Coley's .399 hitting percentage is seventh in DIII. Within the Landmark Conference, she leads in hitting percentage, is second in kills per set (3.76), and sixth in blocks per set. She earned Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week honors twice (Sept. 11, Nov. 6). Coley also had a record-setting individual match performance, posting a .731 hitting percentage with 21 kills against Lynchburg (Oct. 28). It's the fifth-best hitting percentage in program history (minimum 20 attempts), while it's the tenth-best since rally scoring was introduced in 2001 (minimum 15 attempts).
Rousset-Hernandez earns Specialist of the Year honors, while she gets a bump up to the All-Conference First-Team after two seasons on the Second Team. Rousset-Hernandez has been an effective server and passer for Juniata this season, sitting third in the conference for aces per set (0.64) and sixth in the conference for digs per set (4.70). Her current career digs tally of 1536, which puts her eighth in program history.
Olivia Foley marks her third season on the Landmark All-Conference First Team. As it stands, she is third in DIII and first in the conference for digs per set (11.14), while she is guiding the Juniata offense to the best hitting percentage in the country (.295). In addition to her 854 assists, she has 31 aces and 214 digs. Foley earned Landmark Athlete of the Week honors once this season (Oct. 30). Her 2978 assists currently puts her tenth in program history.
Kennedy Christy placed on Landmark's Second Team for the second time in her career (2021). She's leading the conference in aces per set (0.71) for a side that's second in the country for aces per set. Christy is also averaging the tenth most points per set (3.13) with 158 kills alongside 49 aces. She's also provided 144 digs, 15 blocks, and 16 assists.
Audrey Muth placed on the Second Team after placing on the Second Team and being named Rookie of the Year in 2022. She currently is tenth in the conference for hitting percentage (.267) and ninth for kills per set (2.79). She leads Juniata outsides in kills (225), while she also has 31 blocks and 38 digs.
Lily Podolan is a Landmark All-Conference player for the second time in her career, following up a First-Team nomination last year with a place on the Second Team this year. She sits ninth in the conference for hitting percentage (.270), leading Juniata's regular outsides. She has 181 kills, 28 blocks, 48 digs, and a couple of aces.
For the first time in her career, Courtney Williams earned a Landmark All-Conference Team place on the Second Team. She holds a .318 hitting percentage, third in the Landmark Conference. She was named Landmark Athlete of the Week once this season (Sept. 4). She's totaled 152 kills with 52 blocks and eight digs.
The Eagles coaching staff, led by Heather Pavlik, secured the program's second consecutive Coaching Staff of the Year award, the seventh with Pavlik in charge. The program has just earned its 42nd consecutive conference championship and 16th consecutive Landmark Conference Championship, standing undefeated through 29 matches entering NCAA Tournament play. The team currently leads the country in hitting percentage (.295), is second in aces per set (3.58), fourth in assists per set (13.02), and maintains the fourth-lowest opponent hitting percentage (.071).
The #1 Juniata Eagles will begin NCAA Tournament play by hosting Regional Finals this Thursday, November 16th-Saturday, November 18th. They'll open play as the region's #1 seed against #8 Penn State Altoona on Thursday at 7:00 pm at Memorial Gymansium. Single-day tickets for the NCAA Regionals will be $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and veterans, and $8 for students with IDs, and $5 for children aged 12 and under. Children aged 2 and under will have free admission.
