Hettrick Named to AVCA Div. III All-New England Region Team; O'Neil Grabs Honorable Mention Nod
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., November 14, 2006 - Springfield College senior libero Leah Hettrick (Meriden, Conn.) and senior middle blocker MaryKathryn O’Neil (Liverpool, N.Y.) have each been named to the 2006 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III All-New England Region Team.
For Hettrick, this is her second year in a row being named All-Region, as O’Neil has landed on the Honorable Mention squad for the first time in her career. In being named to the team for the second consecutive year, Hettrick has also been honored as an AVCA Division III All-America Honorable Mention selection. In other news, Hettrick and O’Neil were both named to the 2006 New England Women’s Volleyball Association (NEWVA) All-New England Second Team.
Hettrick, a graduate of Francis T. Maloney High School and native of Meriden, Conn., has finished her career as the all-time leader in Springfield College women’s volleyball history in career digs. The tri-captain accumulated a four-year total of 2,520 digs, which is good for a 5.26 career dig-per-game average. In terms of NCAA Division III all-time defensive rankings, Hettrick has ended her illustrious Pride career ranked eighth in total digs and digs per game.
For Hettrick, it is the third straight year that the libero has been named to a NEWMAC All-Conference team, as she also garnered NEWMAC Rookie of the Year honors back in 2003. Hettrick finished with the most total digs in the league this season (720), as she finished the year second in the category of digs per game (5.95).
O’Neil, a graduate of West Genesee High School and resident of Liverpool, N.Y., has earned her first NEWMAC All-Conference nod with this year’s selection. The tri-captain had a spectacular senior campaign, as she finished the season with 451 kills and a .319 hitting percentage. The middle blocker also averaged 3.73 kills per game. In the NEWMAC rankings this season, O’Neil finished second in hitting percentage and blocks per game (0.98), and fourth overall in kills per game.
For her career, O’Neil easily surpassed the 1,000-kill barrier, accumulating a four-year total of 1,176. After totaling 107 and 267 kills in her first two seasons, respectively, O’Neil racked up 351 kills her junior year and then 451 kills this season for the 1,176 total.
SC has finished its 2006 season with a 27-8 overall record as the Pride fell just one victory shy of an automatic NCAA Division III Tournament bid. After defeating second-seeded MIT by a close, 3-2 margin in the semifinals of the NEWMAC Tournament, SC fell, 3-1, to top-ranked Coast Guard in the NEWMAC Final.
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Head Coach Joel Dearing
Joel Dearing will enter his 20th season as head women's volleyball coach at his alma mater in the fall of 2008. Dearing is regarded nationally as one of the sport’s best coaches and he has the resume to prove it. Dearing ranks in the top-10 in Division III history with a 638-293 (.685) overall mark in 27 seasons as a women’s volleyball coach.
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