Lexington, Ky. - November 8, 2012 - Junior Tessa Smolinski was honored as one of the top women's volleyball players in New England as she was selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III New England All-Region Team on Thursday. Smolinski earned the all-region honors of the second-consecutive year, and will now be put forth to be considered for AVCA All-America status. Last season, Smolinski was chosen as an AVCA Honorable Mention All-America selection.
Earlier this week, the Hebron, Conn. product was named to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Conference First Team for the second year in a row.
Guiding Springfield to its third-straight trip to the NCAA Championship, Smolinski has been sensational all season, producing a team-best 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.
Moira Long will enter her third season as head women's volleyball coach in the fall of 2013. 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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