LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released the All-Region awards Thursday and eight Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference players earned the recognition, including a Coach of the Year honor. Complete AVCA Release
Colorado College and Southwestern University both had three athletes recognized and Trinity University had two honorees.
Colorado College's Lizzy Counts, Aria Dudley and Jordan Mullen all received first-team nods. Southwestern's Kate Mitchell, a two time AVCA All-Region team member, and Megan Grimes also were voted to the team. Trinity's Kirby Smith, also a two time AVCA All-Region team member, represented the Tigers.
Madeline McKay of Trinity and Piper Sisemore of Southwestern received honorable mention recognition.
Counts, a sophomore setter from Oakland, Calif., was named to the team after a stand-out season. Counts earned multiple SCAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades as well as an AVCA National Player of the Week honor. Counts is the current conference leader in assists per set, averaging 10.07.
Dudley, a right side hitter from Santa Ana, Calif., also had an outstanding season. Dudley received both offensive and defensive SCAC Player of the Week honors as well as an AVCA National Player of the Week accolade. Dudley averaged a .337 hitting percentage and 2.39 kills per set.
A sophomore from Parker, Colo., Jordan Mullen, is a force at the net, averaging 3.01 kills per set and a .262 attack percentage.
Smith, a junior outside hitter from Pilot Point, Texas, was named to the team after leading the Trinity Tigers to a 27-7 season record. Smith is in the SCAC top-five leaderboard averaging 3.27 kills per set and 376 total kills on the season.
Mitchell, a senior outside hitter from Roseville, Calif., earned her second all-region pick after leading the Pirates offensively. Mitchell totals 386 kills on the season, averaging 3.19 kills per set.
Mitchell's teammate, Megan Grimes, a junior from Carrollton, Texas, is in the SCAC leaderboard for assists per set, averaging 10.06. Grimes also averages a .256 attack percentage on the year.
Colorado College's head coach Rick Swan received the West Region Coach of the Year honor, just after receiving SCAC Coach of the Year honors. Swan led this year's team to an undefeated record against Divison III opponents and an unblemished SCAC conference record. The Tigers were also the 2017 SCAC regular season champions.