Five VB Players Named AVCA All-Region

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tied for the most in thecountry, the University of Miami volleyball team had five student-athletesnamed AVCA Division I All-Region Tuesday. Head coach Nicole Lantagne Welchearned AVCA Division I East Region Coach of the Year after guiding theHurricanes to a 25-6 record.

TakingAll-Region honors on the 14-member team were junior right side Alex Johnson,sophomore middle blocker Alexis Mourning, sophomore middle blocker Emani Simsand senior Nrithya Sundararaman, while junior libero Ryan Shaffer was anHonorable Mention. The Canes match Iowa State and Penn State for the mosthonorees nationally with five.

“Weare very honored to continue to receive great recognition for our players andcoaching staff for this season,” Lantagne Welch said. “We had great teamsuccess this year, and this is certainly a reflection of everyone in ourprogram’s efforts.”

LantagneWelch, who won ACC Coach of the Year, adds East Region Coach of the Year forthe second time (2008) in her career. She led the Hurricanes to aprogram-record 17 ACC victories to finish second in the competitive conference.It was the third time in the last five seasons the program earned 25 winsoverall. After losing three All-ACC players from the 2011 roster, LantagneWelch guided UM back to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight season, withan ACC-record six players earning All-ACC honors.

Johnson,who has started every match in her career, displayed consistency throughout theseason finishing amongst the top four on the team in attack percentage (.263),kills (282), assists (86), services aces (44), blocks (85.0) and digs (290).Recording nine double-doubles during the year, she won ACC Player of the Weekafter posting 16 kills and 16 digs in a win over then-No. 6 Florida State in Septemberand nearly posted a triple-doubles in the NCAA Tournament against College ofCharleston (11 kills, 10 blocks, eight digs).

Aforce in the middle of the net, Mourning had a breakout season. The sophomore had305 kills and 129 blocks, both ranked second on the team. Also being fourth inthe ACC in blocks per set (1.22), she had 10 total blocks in a win over NorthCarolina to earn ACC Co-Player of the Week Oct. 8. The middle blocker tallieddouble-digit kills in 16 matches, with a minimum of five total blocks in 16contests.

Simsalso earns All-Region after leading the Canes with 160 blocks up front,second-best in the ACC (1.39/set). Also pacing UM with a .328 hitting percentageon 285 kills, she won ACC Player of the Week on two occasions throughout theyear. The highlight of her season came against Clemson when Sims recorded a school-record16 total blocks to go with 16 kills, including nine in one set, to winCollegiate Volleyball Update National Player of the Week. The sophomore notchedat least five blocks in 16 matches.

Thelone senior on the roster, Sundararaman was effective distributing the ballaround the court for Miami, leading the ACC with 10.72 assists per set.Totaling 1,201 assists this season, she ends her career with 2,357 to finishthird in program history. She won ACC Player of the Week Nov. 19 after puttingup 69 assists in her final two matches at home, adding five kills and sevendigs against Boston College. Sundararaman was also named Capital One AcademicAll-District with a 3.90 GPA as a neurobiology major.

Earningan Honorable Mention spot, Shaffer was the most consistent defensive player forthe Hurricanes, picking up 539 digs to finish second in the ACC (4.69/set). Thelibero led the team in digs in 25 of the 30 matches, with a season-high 30against NC State and Boston College. She is now ranked fourth in school historywith 1,562 career digs.

Atotal of 13 student-athletes from the ACC earned recognition on the All-East Region Team.

2012 AVCA Division I All-East Region

Honorable Mention

Region Freshman of the Year: Paige Neuenfeldt, North Carolina, Middle Blocker
Region Coach of the Year: Nicole Lantagne Welch, Miami

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