BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott men's volleyball senior outside hitter Bryn Lipton (Rockford, Ill.) has been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America First Team, as announced by the organization.
This is Lipton's third career AVCA All-America honor (2018-19: Second Team) and first career AVCA All-America First Team selection.
Additionally, with today's announcement, Lipton became the second student-athlete in program history to claim three AVCA All-America honors.
Lipton is joined on that list by Dan Coleman '09 (Millis, Mass.) who received three AVCA All-America First Team honors over the course of his illustrious career (2006, 2008-09).
Meanwhile, as for the men's volleyball program, this is the 10th AVCA All-America honor in program history.
Jeremy Fontaine '05 (Belchertown, Mass.), the program's first-ever AVCA All-America honoree in 2004, and Endicott Athletics Hall of Famer A.J. Witkofsky '10 (Scotia, N.Y.) are the only other student-athletes to claim AVCA All-America honors for Endicott.
LIPTON'S SENIOR CAMPAIGN
The 2020 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Player of the Year, Lipton averaged 3.14 kills per set (160 total) and a .337 hitting percentage (160K-46E-338TA) to go along with 0.73 service aces (37), 2.04 digs (104), 0.49 blocks (6 solo, 19 assisted), 4.2 points (212.5), and a .982 serve-receive percentage (5E-275TA) in 15 matches played (51 sets).
Against nationally ranked opponents this season, Lipton totaled 3.10 kills per set (90 total), a .274 hitting percentage (90K-32E-212TA), 0.52 service aces (15), 2.07 digs (60), 0.59 blocks (5 solo, 12 assisted), 4.00 points (116.0), and a .971 serve-receive percentage (5E-172TA).
The programs included in that list, which features any team that was at one point nationally ranked during the 2020 season, includes No. 14 UC Santa Cruz, No. 13 Wentworth, No. 4 Stevens, No. 12 MSOE, No. 7 St. John Fisher, MIT, and Vassar. The national rankings previously mentioned mark that program's national ranking at the time Endicott played against them.
Individually, Lipton was well-ranked among his NECC peers in the following categories: kills (7th), kills per set (4th), hitting percentage (2nd), service aces (2nd), service aces per set (1st), digs (17th), digs per set (10th), block solos (6th), block assists (14th), total blocks (15th), blocks per set (11th), points (5th), and points per set (3rd).
When compared to all student-athletes in Division III, Lipton ranked No. 7 in aces per set, No. 111 in digs per set (as an outside hitter among 198 ranked student-athletes), No. 34 in hitting percentage, No. 54 in kills per set, and No. 29 in points per set.
Lipton also produced a team-high four double-doubles this season, notched 15 or more kills in a match four times, and had three or more service aces in a match eight times (season-high five). Additionally, Lipton became the fifth student-athlete in program history to reach the 1,000 career kill plateau with 14 kills on 28 swings (.429) against No. 7 St. John Fisher on March 7.
Lipton currently ranks fifth all-time in kills (1,001), fourth in kills per set (3.24), second in service aces (148), third in service aces per set (0.48), first in reception percentage (.972, 1,570 receptions), and fourth in points (1239.0) and points per set (4.01).
Along with those career rankings, the senior outside is now a four-time All-NECC First Team selection, a two-time NECC Player of the Year and the 2017 NECC Rookie of the Year, among his many other All-Region and All-American accolades.
Lipton also is just the second student-athlete to earn All-Conference First Team honors four times during his career and the first outside hitter to achieve the accomplishment.
For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
