BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott sophomore outside hitter Bryn Lipton (Rockford, Ill.) has been named to American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Second Team, as announced by the organization earlier today.
Lipton becomes the fourth All-American in program history joining Endicott Hall of Famer A.J. Witkofsky '10 (Scotia, N.Y.), Dan Coleman '09 (Millis, Mass.), and Jeremy Fontaine '05 (Belchertown, Mass.) on the list.
Lipton is the first Endicott men's volleyball student-athlete to be honored as an All-American since Witkofsky did so in 2010. Lipton also is the first-ever outside hitter to be recognized as an All-American in program history and the only representative from the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) honored as an All-American (not counting honorable mention) on the 2018 AVCA All-America list.
"This is a great honor for Bryn, the program, and our college. It is a confirmation of the hard work that the entire roster put into the regular season and the offseason," said Endicott men's volleyball head coach George Chapell '08. "As an individual, Bryn displayed a great level of ability last year as a freshman, and continued his growth and development this season through his hard work and dedication to the program and his teammates. I'm proud of what we accomplished this past season and we are excited about the future of the program."
In 2018, Lipton guided the Gulls to a 23-4 record (12-0 NECC), a No. 14 AVCA national ranking, and a spot in the NECC championship match (seventh straight appearance). Lipton also compiled 3.30 kills per set (221 total), a .285 hitting percentage, 0.60 blocks per set (40 total), 0.51 service aces per set (34 total), 1.99 digs per set (133 total), and 4.2 points per set (281.0 total) in 25 matches played (67 sets).
Additionally, Lipton registered a .979 serve-receive percentage (340 total attempts, 7 errors, based upon available data), notched two double-doubles, and posted match-highs of 19 kills (twice), 12 digs (twice) and six blocks (2 solo, 4 assisted).
Lipton currently ranks No. 12 among all NCAA Division III student-athletes in points per set, No. 26 in kills per set (p/s), No. 62 in hitting percentage, No. 99 in digs p/s, and No. 21 in aces p/s. In the NECC, Lipton is No. 4 in kills p/s, No. 7 in hitting percentage, No. 5 in service aces p/s, No. 9 in digs p/s, No. 8 in blocks p/s, and No. 3 in points p/s.
YEAR IN REVIEW
Endicott posted a 23-4 record (12-0 NECC), which marks the eighth 20-win season in program history, and were ranked as high as No. 14 nationally on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Top-15 Poll (first appearance since 2011). The Gulls also won the 2018 NECC regular season title, and advanced to the league championship match for the seventh straight season. Prior to this year, the Gulls rattled off five straight NECC title wins from 2013-2017.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)