BEVERLY, Mass. - Following a 2021 campaign that has seen the Endicott women's volleyball team claim the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title and advance to the NCAA DIII Tournament, the Gulls saw four members earn American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region honors as was announced earlier this afternoon. Amanda Gilbert (Hopkinton, Mass.), Colleen McAvoy (Coventry, Conn.), and Krystina Schueler (Trumbull, Conn.) were named to the AVCA DIII Region II All-Region Team, while Rylie Donahue (South Windsor, Conn.) was named Honorable Mention.
The four total honors are tied for second-most all-time in program history, falling one shy of the program record five that the Gulls received in 2019, and tie the 2017 list of honors.
AMANDA GILBERT | AVCA ALL-REGION
2021 has seen Gilbert earn AVCA All-Region honors for the first time in her distinguished career, the same year in which she earned her first All-CCC First Team accolade. Overall on the season, the senior has averaged 3.01 kills/set while hitting .249 (298-107-780), while also averaging 2.4 digs/set (238 total). Her 298 kills, 3.01 kills/set, 238 digs and 2.4 digs/set all set career-high marks as she has led the Gulls to a 21-8 record overall to date. The Hopkinton, Mass. native enters the NCAA DIII Tournament with eight double-double performances, which includes a season-high 21 kills in the CCC Championship over Roger Williams. Against regionally ranked opponents, Gilbert's high of 16 kills came in the team's 3-2 win over AVCA No. 22 Babson 3-2, and in the team's 3-1 setback to Wesleyan (Conn.). The Hopkinton, Mass. native posted a high of 15 digs four times on the season while she has finished with 15 or more kills seven times this year.
COLLEEN MCAVOY | AVCA ALL-REGION
For the third time in her distinguished career, McAvoy has earned AVCA All-Region accolades. The senior earns All-Region honors after being named to the Honorable Mention list twice before, which included AVCA Region Rookie of the Year as a freshman. McAvoy has produced 212 kills to date from the middle, averaging 2.08 kills/set while hitting a team-best .419 on the year. McAvoy also averaged .71 blocks/set, .70 digs/set and 2.8 aces/set while averaging 2.8 points/set on the season. Against nationally ranked opponents, McAvoy hit a team-leading .370, averaging 2.05 kills/set, which included a 14-0-26 (.538) effort against No. 3 Trinity (Tex.). The Coventry, Conn. native has amassed six double-digit kill efforts to date, while hitting .400 or higher in 18 matches in 2021.
KRYSTINA SCHUELER | AVCA ALL-REGION
Schueler joins the list of AVCA All-Region honorees for the first time in her career in 2021 after helping to lead the Gulls to the eighth CCC title in program history. The right side hitter has accumulated 186 kills to date and averaging 1.90 kills/set while hitting for a .266 clip overall on the season, totaling 209.5 points. The junior also averaged .43 blocks/set and .41 digs/set on the defensive side. Schueler set career-best marks in kills, kills/set, hitting percentage, blocks, digs, digs/set, points and points/set. The Trumbull, Conn. native produced seven double-digit kill performances, highlighted by her 10-2-26 (.308) performance in the 3-2 win over NCAA DIII Tournament for Babson during the regular season, and her 11-2-20 (.450) effort against Wesleyan.
RILEY DONAHUE | AVCA ALL-REGION HONORABLE MENTION
Donahue adds another to her impressive freshman campaign that has included CCC Rookie of the Year and All-CCC First Team honors. The outside finished second on the team with 254 kills and her 2.85 kill/set average, while her 207 digs and 2.33 digs/set average were good for third and fourth on the roster, respectively. Her 292.5 total points were also second on the team, as were her 3.3 points/set. To date, Donahue has recorded 11 double-digit kill performances, led by her career-best 21 kills in the team's 3-2 setback to AVCA No. 3 Trinity (Tex.). The South Windsor, Conn. native has notched 10 double-digit dig totals on the year, while also collecting six double-double efforts on the year.
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