Xuan, who was also the PSAC East Freshman of the Year last season, helped lead the Bald Eagles to the PSAC East championship for the third straight year and a berth in the PSAC semifinals. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Xuan currently leads the PSAC in kills per set at 3.84 and is second in overall kills with 380. She also ranks 10th in the PSAC in hitting percentage at .289. Her efforts have once again helped Lock Haven lead the league in hitting percentage at .251. Xuan, who last year became the first athlete in recorded PSAC history to win both the Athlete and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season, is the third straight Lock Haven athlete to be named Athlete of the Year in the Eastern Division, following herself last year and former Lady Eagle standout Stacey Borgia in 2008.
Bartman is the first Clarion athlete in the recorded history of PSAC volleyball to earn West Athlete of the Year honors. The junior currently ranks fourth in the PSAC in kills per set at 3.48 and her 355 total kills also ranks fourth in the league. Her play has helped the Golden Eagles rank second in the PSAC in kills and kills per set. She was also named the MVP of the PSAC Tournament after helping lead Clarion to only their second conference championship in school history.
Edwards is the first Shippensburg freshman to win the East Freshman of the Year award since Cindel Young in 2006. The Raleigh, N.C. native helped lead the Lady Raiders to a berth in the PSAC Tournament this season by leading the PSAC in total kills with 444. Her 3.64 kills per set average ranks third in the PSAC. The freshman was also second on the Lady Raiders in digs with 323.
Sullivan helped lead Edinboro to a runner-up finish in the PSAC Tournament and a co-West title with Clarion and leads the Fighting Scots in kills per set at 3.36, which also ranks sixth in the PSAC. Her 336 total kills is seventh in the league and just three fewer than teammate Gina Boothe, who was the last Edinboro player to be named freshman of the year two seasons ago. In fact, Sullivan is just the latest in a long line of Fighting Scots who have recently been named the West Freshman of the Year. She is the fourth Fighting Scot in the last five seasons to be named Freshman of the Year, following Boothe in 2008, Katie Wilkins in 2007 and Olivia Williams in 2006.
Justice not only garners his third straight PSAC East Coach of the Year honor but also his sixth career PSAC Coach of the Year award. He was also the West Coach of the Year three times previously before the Bald Eagles moved over to the Eastern Division in 2008. He guided the Bald Eagles to their third straight East title and also their third straight appearance in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Harrison is the first Clarion coach to garner the PSAC West Coach of the Year honor in the recorded history of the PSAC. The fourth-year head coach guided the Golden Eagles to their first PSAC championship since 1988 and their first-ever PSAC West title. The Golden Eagles will also be the top seed in this weekend’s NCAA Atlantic Regional and will be making their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002.
Edinboro led the way with the most overall all-conference selections with five, including four first team All-PSAC West selections. In addition to Sullivan and Boothe, both Beyaca Martin and Megan Osysko were first team picks while Maureen Tilert was a second team selection. The Fighting Scots tied with Lock Haven for the most first team selections, as the Bald Eagles also had four first teamers in the East. Xuan was joined by Bailey Farthing, Alexa Garrity and Haley Gribler on the East first team. West Chester also had four total all-conference selections in the East, one on the first team and three on the second team.
There was only one player on the all-conference teams that is now a four-time All-PSAC selection, that being Michelle Powers of West Chester, who is on the first team for the third straight season after being a second team pick as a freshman. East Stroudsburg senior Alyson Stark is on the second team for the third straight year. Powers and Stark are the only two players on the All-PSAC teams this year that have been all-conference picks more than twice in their careers as there are several new faces on the team this season. Exactly half, 14 of the 28 selections, on the all-conference teams are being honored for the first time in their careers. The West team is especially new, with eight of 14 picks being first-time selections, including four of the seven members of the first team.
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