Brown Earns GNAC Volleyball All-Conference Second Team Honors
WINTHROP, Mass. – Mitchell College junior Bliss Brown (Rainbow City, Ala.) earned Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Conference Second Team honors for the sport of women's volleyball, as announced by the conference on Tuesday afternoon. Voting was conducted by the league's 16 women's volleyball head coaches following the regular season and did not take postseason play into account.
Brown, who was one of just 25 players to land on one of the three All-Conference teams, produced a historic season during her first fall in New London, helping guide the Mariners to a 5-10 record in league play throughout their inaugural season in the GNAC.
Immediately emerging as one of the top all around players in the conference, Brown finished the regular season with 246 kills in GNAC play, best in the league. Her 4.39 kills per set in conference action was good second overall, and she also placed second across 15 GNAC matches in points per set (4.8) and total points (266.5), while notching the most total attacks with 883, 293 more than the player in second place. A two-way threat, the junior also tallied 206 defensive digs against conference opponents, averaging 3.68 digs per set, ranking 13th and 14th in the GNAC respectively.
Brown's play remained consistently strong outside of conference, as her 356 total kills, 3.75 kills per set, and 4.1 points per set each ranked second overall, and her 392.5 total points placed her third. Additionally, she was 15th in the conference with 328 digs and 3.45 digs per set across 25 total matches.
The standout player's success expanded far beyond just the GNAC, with her 37 kill performance against Colby-Sawyer ranking first in the nation at the Division III level in kills during a five set match, while her 33 kills against Albertus Magnus is second in the same category. Brown also holds the top spot nationally in attacks in a four-set match (84) and attacks in a five-set match (118).
Throughout the season, Brown rewrote the Mitchell record book, shattering the Division III era record for kills in a season by 110. Her 3.75 kills per set average also set a program record, topping Amanda Garcia, who averaged 3.08 kills per set during the 2013 season. With 328 digs, Brown moves into the top 10 in the history of the program for an individual season.
Also representing the Mariners was junior Allison Blum (Garden Grove, Cali.), who was selected to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Claire Conners, Simmons
McKenna McCool, Lasell
Ahnasia Mckinney, Regis
Juliana Medini, Lasell
Peyton Oliver, Johnson & Wales
Lily Sills, Rivier
Carolina Rodriguez, Simmons
Chelsea Simmons, Simmons
Kamdyn Tenorio, Regis
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
Victoria Briones, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Bliss Brown, Mitchell
Isabella Marquez, Emmanuel
Sarah Miller, Johnson & Wales
Avery Mola, Regis
Jayla Parnell, Simmons
Aryam Serrano-Monserrate, Regis
Kat Simeonidis, Simmons
ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
Sari Albury, Dean
Shannon Carey, U. of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Rita Dow, Regis
Abby Jerome, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Sydney Katz, Lasell
Hannah Pridgeon, Simmons
Torrance Robertson, New England College
Brynn Roche, Rivier
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Samiyah Cabrera, Elms
Larisa Comolli, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Grace Fabiano, Regis
Kason Huynh, Emmanuel
Avery Mola, Regis
Hannah Pridgeon, Simmons
Carolina Rodriguez, Simmons
Kelsie Tretera, Johnson & Wales
MAJOR AWARDS
Player of the Year - Chelsea Simmons, Simmons
Setter of the Year - Ahnasia Mckinney, Regis
Libero of the Year - Carolina Rodriguez, Simmons
Rookie of the Year - Kason Huynh, Emmanuel
Coach of the Year - Patrick Helmas, Simmons
Institutional Sportsmanship - Simmons
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Yarelis Torres, Albertus Magnus
Sarah Burt, Anna Maria
Olivia DeShane, Colby-Sawyer
Bella Driscoll, Dean
Quiana Gibbs, Elms
Brigid Moriarty, Emmanuel
Kelsie Tretera, Johnson & Wales
Emily Cerasani, Lasell
Allison Blum, Mitchell
Tatiana Sampson, New England College
Abby Kanaga, Norwich
Toni Ondris, Regis
Sofia Pawlusik, Rivier
Sam Holland, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
April Beatty, Simmons
Katina Nanos, U. of Saint Joseph (Conn.)