Babson Park, Mass. - November 10, 2009 - Juniors Heather Lively and Sarah Lang-Rodean were named to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Volleyball All-Conference First Team, while classmate Kelsea Hellyar was selected to the second team.The trio led Springfield to a 27-7 record in the 2009 season as the Pride advanced to the conference tournament semifinals.
Lively, who was the last year's conference player of the year, had another standout year for Springfield. In her second year for the Pride, the Royalston, Mass. native led the team with 432 kills, averaging 3.42 per game, while hitting .243. While playing all the way around the court this season, she added 221 digs to go along with 31 aces. In addition, her 3.97 points per game ranked second in the conference
Lang-Rodean had a breakout junior season as she picked up her first all-conference honor. The middle blocker was a dynamic offensive weapon as she hit .325 on the season, racking up 367 kills. The Mansfield Center, Conn. product also posted 49 aces and 93 total blocks, averaging .74 blocks per game. For the year, she ranked third in the conference hitting percentage, fifth in points per game (3.8), eighth in blocks per game, and kills per game (2.92).
Hellyar, who hails from Fairhaven, Mass. also earned her first all-conference accolade as she earned second team honors. Leading one of the top offenses in the region, Hellyar led a Springfield attack that hit .241 on the season while averaging just over 12 kills per game. Individually, she dished out 1,302 assists, averaging 10.33 per game, to go along with 240 digs and 55 aces. Among her fellow conference foes, Hellyar ranked first in the league in assists per game and 10th in aces.
2009 Women’s Volleyball All-Conference Team and Award Winners
NEWMAC Athlete of the Year:
Alice Cummings, Wellesley
NEWMAC Rookie of the Year:
Isabel Custodio, Wellesley
NEWMAC Coach of the Year:
Dorothy Webb, Wellesley
NEWMAC Sportsmanship Award:
Mount Holyoke College
First Team All-Conference
Barden Cleeland, MIT, MH
Alex May, MIT, OH
Keriann Mason, Coast Guard, MB/OH
Sarah Lang-Rodean, Springfield, MB
Heather Lively, Springfield, OH
Alice Cummings, Wellesley, OH
Isabel Custodio, Wellesley, S/OPP
Second Team All-Conference
Meg Flaherty, Babson, OH
Nina Milovanovic, Babson, OH
Jenny Li, MIT, OH
Alyssa Rothman, MIT, S
Mikal Minarich, Smith, OH
Kelsea Hellyar, Springfield, S
Elizabeth Campbell, Wellesley, OH
Victoria Peng, Wellesley, S
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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