2022 DIII REGION COACHES OF THE YEAR
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released the 2022 AVCA DIII All-Region Teams on Thursday afternoon, and Endicott was well represented with four total honors, headlined by head coach Tim Byram's first Regional Coach of the Year honor. Amanda Gilbert (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Colleen McAvoy (Coventry, Conn.) were named to the All-Region Team, while Krystina Schueler (Trumbull, Conn.) was named Honorable Mention.
AVCA DIII REGION COACH OF THE YEAR
Byram, who is in his 23rd year at the helm of the program, has been named AVCA Division III Region II Coach of the Year for the first time following the team's 22-9 season that came to a close on Thursday in the NCAA DIII Tournament. Under his guidance, the Gulls claimed the program's ninth Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title in program history in 2022, as Endicott has now won three straight CCC titles and six of the last seven. During this most recent season, the Gulls were a top team in the region throughout, battling against a top non-conference schedule that included two wins over AVCA Top 25 ranked programs (9/10 - No. 10 MIT / 10/8 No. 18 Babson), and 10 total matches against nationally or regionally ranked opponents. The 22 wins in 2022 represent the 13th time the Gulls have eclipsed the 20-win plateau with Byram as head coach, as he currently possesses a head coaching record of 445-302 (.596) overall at Endicott, and a record of 162-30 (.844) in CCC play.
AVCA DIII ALL-REGION
Amanda Gilbert | Gr. | OH | Hopkinton, Mass.
For the second time in her illustrious career, graduate outside Amanda Gilbert has been named to the AVCA All-Region First Team, as she had previously done so as a senior in 2021. Gilbert enjoyed a career year in 2022, posting new career-high marks in kills (377), kills/set (3.66), digs (297), digs/set (2.88), aces (43), aces/set (.42), points (439.5) and points/set (4.3). The Hopkinton, Mass. native eclipsed the personal milestone mark of 1,000 career kills earlier in the season, finishing her career with 1,119, good for seventh in program history. Of the nine student-athletes that have reached the 1,000 career kill mark in program history, Gilbert's career hitting percentage of .245 is good for third overall, trailing only Sara Moore '07 and Hayley Janelle '09. Her 785 digs also place her fifth amongst all 1,000 career kill members. During her time at The Nest, the Gulls finished 84-37 overall (.694), and 32-2 (.942) against CCC foes, with three CCC titles and NCAA DIII Tournament appearances.
Colleen McAvoy | Gr. | MB | Coventry, Conn.
For the fourth time in her storied career, graduate middle Colleen McAvoy has garnered AVCA All-Region honors, being named to the AVCA All-Region First Team for the second straight season, following Honorable Mention nods in 2018 & 2019. McAvoy, who became the first member of the Endicott women's volleyball team to earn AVCA All-America honors with her Third Team nod in 2021, led the team for the second straight season in hitting percentage, hitting for a .310 clip this fall. The Coventry, Conn. native finished the season leading the Gulls in blocking with 91 total blocks, averaging a team-best .92 per set, while her 280.5 points and 2.8 points/set average were good for second best. McAvoy finishes with a career hitting percentage of .348, the highest average ever with a minimum of 1,000 attempts. The middle finished her career in the Blue and Green with 814 kills and 234 errors on 1,667 total attempts and is also third in program history with .83 blocks/set for her career, while her 270 assist blocks rank fourth, and her 315 total blocks are good for fifth.
AVCA DIII ALL-REGION HONORABLE MENTION
Krystina Schueler | Sr. | RS/MB | Trumbull, Conn.
For the second straight season, right side Krystina Schueler has received AVCA All-Region accolades, this time drawing Honorable Mention honors in 2022. Schueler tied her career-high with 194 kills, but set a new career-best for kills/set with 2.00. The Trumbull, Conn. native posted 231.5 points, good for third on the team, as were her 2.4 points/set. Schueler's biggest jump came defensively as she avered a career-high .71 blocks/set, after setting a new personal best with 69 total blocks. Her 69 total blocks and .71 blocks/set were both good for third on the Endicott women's volleyball roster. The 2022 Honorable Mention accolade follows her 2021 AVCA All-Region First Team honor, and makes her the eighth member in program history to earn multiple AVCA All-Region honors in their respective careers.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10, Ryan Atkins '23, John Ratner '24)
