Babson Park, Mass. - November 6, 2012 - Tessa Smolinski, Mary Consol, and Molly Giannattasio were selected to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Volleyball All-Conference teams on Tuesday.Smolinski was Springfield's lone first-team selection, while both Consol and Giannattasio garnered second-team honors for the first time in their careers.
A native of Hebron, Conn., Smolinski took home all-conference honors for the third-straight season, including her second-consecutive first team honor. The junior has been sensational all season, leading the team with 439 kills, averaging 3.75 per set, while hitting .293. She ranks second on the team in digs with 417, and has added 35 aces and 30 blocks. She was named the NEWMAC Player of the Week three times in the regular season and took home five different all-tournament team honors.
In her final season at Springfield, Consol had a standout season as the Pride's main weapon out of the middle. The Long Valley, N.J. product has tallied 301 kills at a .291 clip to go along with a team-best 105 blocks. She is the only member of the team to have played in every set for Springfield this season.
Hailing from Easy Lyme, Conn. Giannattasio helped lead on of the most efficient offenses in the country this season. She has totaled 539 assists, averaging just over eight per set, to go along with 104 digs, 26 blocks, and 24 aces. Heading into this weekend's play, the Pride ranks in the top 25 nationally in with a .244 hitting percentage.
Moira Long will enter her second season as head women's volleyball coach in the fall of 2012. Long wasted little time putting her stamp on the program, taking the Pride to the NCAA Championship Elite Eight in 2011.
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