University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt’s Kayla Lund Dubbed AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year
12/10/2019 11:11:00 AM | Volleyball
Five Panthers Earn All-Region Honors
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Junior outside hitter Kayla Lund of the 2019 ACC Champion Pitt volleyball team (30-2, 18-0 ACC) has been named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) East Coast Region Player of the Year, as announced Tuesday.
Lund is the first Panther in program history to earn the honor. She was named the East Coast Region Freshman of the Year in 2017, and earned All-Region honors as a sophomore in 2018.
The award lengthens the list of 2019 accolades for Lund, who became the program's first ACC Player of the Year, as announced Dec. 2.
The Pasadena, Calif., native is one of five Panthers to earn All-Region honors. Lund joins senior middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk, junior right side Chinaza Ndee and freshman setter Lexis Akeo on the AVCA East Coast All-Region Team. Redshirt senior outside hitter Stephanie Williams earned AVCA East Coast All-Region Honorable Mention Honors.
The awards mark the sixth consecutive season that the Panthers have earned AVCA All-Region honors.
LUND 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
2019 AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, first for the program … AVCA East Coast All-Region Team … Program's first ACC Player of the Year … Second consecutive All-ACC first team honors … Led the Panthers with 3.57 kills per set, ranking seventh in the ACC … Team-best nine double-doubles … Team-best three matches with 20 kills or more … One of three in the ACC to rank in the league's top 10 for both kills and service aces per set … Tied a career high with 23 kills against No. 3 Penn State (Sept. 22) … Picked up a career-best 21 digs at Pepperdine (Sept. 14) … Hit a career-best .818 with nine kills on 11 attempts and zero errors against Green Bay (Sept. 7) … Led the Panthers in kills in 19 matches … Second on the squad with 2.74 digs and 0.32 service aces per frame … Team captain for the Panthers … Two-time ACC Player of the Week (Sept. 3, Sept. 9) … ChampYinz Invitational MVP (Sept. 7) … Panther Challenge MVP (Aug. 31) … Preseason All-ACC selection (Aug. 9).
VAN BUSKIRK 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
2019 AVCA East Coast All-Region Team … Second consecutive All-ACC first team unanimous selection … Led the Panthers with a .369 hitting percentage, ranking fifth in the ACC … Fourth on the squad with 2.52 kills per set … Moved into Pitt's top five all-time for both career block assists and career total blocks … ACC Player of the Week (Sept. 16) ... ChampYinz Invitational All-Tournament Team … Preseason All-ACC selection (Aug. 9).
NDEE 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
2019 AVCA East Coast All-Region Team … First All-ACC first team honors of career … Second on the squad with 2.85 kills per set on .296 hitting … Ranks second for Pitt with 0.98 blocks per frame … Moved into the program's top 10 all-time for both career block assists and career total blocks … Recorded two double-doubles … Led the Panthers in kills in eight matches … Paced the team in blocks in 10 matches … Posted a career-high 22 kills at Pepperdine (Sept. 14) … Contributed a career-best 11 blocks at Boston College (Oct. 13) … Two-time ACC Player of the Week (Sept. 23, Oct. 7).
AKEO 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
2019 AVCA East Coast All-Region Team … All-ACC second team and All-ACC Freshman team selection … Program-record eight-time ACC Freshman of the Week … Primary setter for the Panthers with a team-best 10.46 assists per set this season, ranking fourth in the ACC … Added 1.92 digs and 0.25 service aces per frame … Led the Panthers in assists in all 32 matches this season … Recorded six double-doubles, each with assists and digs … Posted a season-high 58 assists twice, against Cal Poly (Sept. 13) and Cincinnati (Dec. 7).
WILLIAMS 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
2019 AVCA East Coast All-Region Honorable Mention … Program's first four-time All-ACC selection … ACC's only four-time selection in 2019 … First All-ACC second team honor … Became one of just three Panthers in program history to record more than 1,300 kills and 1,000 digs in a career … Moved into the program's top five all-time for career kills … Ranks in the program's top 10 in career attempts and career service aces … Second on the team with seven double-doubles … Third on the team with 2.75 kills per set … Led the Panthers with .34 service aces per set, ranking fourth in the ACC … Picked up a career-high 23 digs against Georgia Tech (Nov. 8) … Panther Challenge All-Tournament Team (Aug. 31) … Preseason All-ACC selection (Aug. 9).
EAST COAST REGION
Lexis Akeo (Pittsburgh, S, Fr.)
Efrosini Alexakou (St. John's, OH, So.)
Allie Barber*** (Marquette, OH, Sr.)
Julia Bergmann (Georgia Tech, OH, Fr.)
Mariana Brambilla (Georgia Tech, RS, So)
Kodie Comby (Georgia Tech, MB, Sr.)
Sophia Davis (James Madison, MB, Fr.)
Erica Di Maulo (St. John's, S, Sr.)
Martha Konovodoff** (Marquette, L, Jr.)
Kayla Lund** (Pittsburgh, OH, Jr.)
Matti McKissock (Georgia Tech, S, So.)
Chinaza Ndee (Pittsburgh, RS, Jr.)
Layne Van Buskirk** (Pittsburgh, MB, Sr.)
Hope Werch (Marquette, OH, Jr.)
HONORABLE MENTION
Manuela Nicolini (Fairfield, S, Sr.)
Charley Niego (Notre Dame, OH, So.)
Zoe Nunez (Notre Dame , S, So.)
Allie Olsonoski (Villanova, MB, Sr.)
M'Kaela White (James Madison, MB, Sr.)
Stephanie Williams (Pittsburgh, OH, RS-Sr.)
Player of the Year: Kayla Lund, Pittsburgh, OH, Jr.
Freshman of the Year: Julia Bergmann, Georgia Tech, OH
Coach of the Year: Michelle Collier, Georgia Tech
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Lund is the first Panther in program history to earn the honor. She was named the East Coast Region Freshman of the Year in 2017, and earned All-Region honors as a sophomore in 2018.
The award lengthens the list of 2019 accolades for Lund, who became the program's first ACC Player of the Year, as announced Dec. 2.
The Pasadena, Calif., native is one of five Panthers to earn All-Region honors. Lund joins senior middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk, junior right side Chinaza Ndee and freshman setter Lexis Akeo on the AVCA East Coast All-Region Team. Redshirt senior outside hitter Stephanie Williams earned AVCA East Coast All-Region Honorable Mention Honors.
The awards mark the sixth consecutive season that the Panthers have earned AVCA All-Region honors.
LUND 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
2019 AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, first for the program … AVCA East Coast All-Region Team … Program's first ACC Player of the Year … Second consecutive All-ACC first team honors … Led the Panthers with 3.57 kills per set, ranking seventh in the ACC … Team-best nine double-doubles … Team-best three matches with 20 kills or more … One of three in the ACC to rank in the league's top 10 for both kills and service aces per set … Tied a career high with 23 kills against No. 3 Penn State (Sept. 22) … Picked up a career-best 21 digs at Pepperdine (Sept. 14) … Hit a career-best .818 with nine kills on 11 attempts and zero errors against Green Bay (Sept. 7) … Led the Panthers in kills in 19 matches … Second on the squad with 2.74 digs and 0.32 service aces per frame … Team captain for the Panthers … Two-time ACC Player of the Week (Sept. 3, Sept. 9) … ChampYinz Invitational MVP (Sept. 7) … Panther Challenge MVP (Aug. 31) … Preseason All-ACC selection (Aug. 9).
VAN BUSKIRK 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
2019 AVCA East Coast All-Region Team … Second consecutive All-ACC first team unanimous selection … Led the Panthers with a .369 hitting percentage, ranking fifth in the ACC … Fourth on the squad with 2.52 kills per set … Moved into Pitt's top five all-time for both career block assists and career total blocks … ACC Player of the Week (Sept. 16) ... ChampYinz Invitational All-Tournament Team … Preseason All-ACC selection (Aug. 9).
NDEE 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
2019 AVCA East Coast All-Region Team … First All-ACC first team honors of career … Second on the squad with 2.85 kills per set on .296 hitting … Ranks second for Pitt with 0.98 blocks per frame … Moved into the program's top 10 all-time for both career block assists and career total blocks … Recorded two double-doubles … Led the Panthers in kills in eight matches … Paced the team in blocks in 10 matches … Posted a career-high 22 kills at Pepperdine (Sept. 14) … Contributed a career-best 11 blocks at Boston College (Oct. 13) … Two-time ACC Player of the Week (Sept. 23, Oct. 7).
AKEO 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
2019 AVCA East Coast All-Region Team … All-ACC second team and All-ACC Freshman team selection … Program-record eight-time ACC Freshman of the Week … Primary setter for the Panthers with a team-best 10.46 assists per set this season, ranking fourth in the ACC … Added 1.92 digs and 0.25 service aces per frame … Led the Panthers in assists in all 32 matches this season … Recorded six double-doubles, each with assists and digs … Posted a season-high 58 assists twice, against Cal Poly (Sept. 13) and Cincinnati (Dec. 7).
WILLIAMS 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
2019 AVCA East Coast All-Region Honorable Mention … Program's first four-time All-ACC selection … ACC's only four-time selection in 2019 … First All-ACC second team honor … Became one of just three Panthers in program history to record more than 1,300 kills and 1,000 digs in a career … Moved into the program's top five all-time for career kills … Ranks in the program's top 10 in career attempts and career service aces … Second on the team with seven double-doubles … Third on the team with 2.75 kills per set … Led the Panthers with .34 service aces per set, ranking fourth in the ACC … Picked up a career-high 23 digs against Georgia Tech (Nov. 8) … Panther Challenge All-Tournament Team (Aug. 31) … Preseason All-ACC selection (Aug. 9).
EAST COAST REGION
Lexis Akeo (Pittsburgh, S, Fr.)
Efrosini Alexakou (St. John's, OH, So.)
Allie Barber*** (Marquette, OH, Sr.)
Julia Bergmann (Georgia Tech, OH, Fr.)
Mariana Brambilla (Georgia Tech, RS, So)
Kodie Comby (Georgia Tech, MB, Sr.)
Sophia Davis (James Madison, MB, Fr.)
Erica Di Maulo (St. John's, S, Sr.)
Martha Konovodoff** (Marquette, L, Jr.)
Kayla Lund** (Pittsburgh, OH, Jr.)
Matti McKissock (Georgia Tech, S, So.)
Chinaza Ndee (Pittsburgh, RS, Jr.)
Layne Van Buskirk** (Pittsburgh, MB, Sr.)
Hope Werch (Marquette, OH, Jr.)
HONORABLE MENTION
Manuela Nicolini (Fairfield, S, Sr.)
Charley Niego (Notre Dame, OH, So.)
Zoe Nunez (Notre Dame , S, So.)
Allie Olsonoski (Villanova, MB, Sr.)
M'Kaela White (James Madison, MB, Sr.)
Stephanie Williams (Pittsburgh, OH, RS-Sr.)
Player of the Year: Kayla Lund, Pittsburgh, OH, Jr.
Freshman of the Year: Julia Bergmann, Georgia Tech, OH
Coach of the Year: Michelle Collier, Georgia Tech
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Players Mentioned
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