Two Spartans Receive SSC Honors

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Concluding regular season play, the University of Tampa volleyball team garnered two All-Sunshine State Conference nods. Twenty-one student-athletes are recognized across three teams as All-Sunshine State Conference for the 2017 season. SSC Champions, Florida Southern College, boast three first team selections and Coach of the Year. Voting for the team was conducted among the league's volleyball coaches.

Taylor Fosler was named to the All-SSC Newcomer team in 2016 for her solid freshman campaign. This year, the sophomore middle blocker continued to shine for UT, climbing the ranks to earn All-SSC Second Team. Fosler totaled 253 kills at a .385 attack percentage, leading the squad in back to back seasons, with 84 total blocks this year.

Sorrel Houghton earned All-SSC Newcomer team honors as the outside hitter was second on the team with 329 kills in her premier year of action. The freshman posted 74 digs and 29 blocks to earn a spot on the newcomer squad.

SSC Volleyball History: ALL-SSC Teams | Players & Coaches of the Year | Conference Champions | National Champions

Florida Southern's Jill Stephens has been named Coach of the Year by her peers. The honor is the second for Stephens ⁴ and seventh for the Moccasins⁵. Stephens led the Moccasins to their first conference title since 2006, and the program's first outright SSC championship since 1990. FSC ends the regular season with a 25-6 overall record, 19-1 conference record, and a 17-game winning streak. 

The SSC Player of the Year award goes to Ally Rohn from Palm Beach Atlantic University. Rohn, an outside hitter/setter from Cedar Lake, Indiana, brings PBA its second SSC Player of the Year award in any sport¹. For the season, Rohn has averaged 3.22 kills, 4.78 assists, and 3.43 digs per set. She is the only SSC athlete to rank Top-12 kills/s, digs/s, and hitting percentage categories². Rohn is also tied for first nationally with 12 triple-doubles. The junior reached the mark with just 93 sets played³.

Embry-Riddle boasts Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year accolades. These honors go to Melanie Canfied. Canfied is the first student-athlete in Embry-Riddle history to win a SSC individual award. She becomes the fourth player in history to win both Newcomer and Freshman of the Year, first since 2014.

Anna Tovo of Florida Southern highlights the repeat All-SSC winners this season. Tovo earns All-SSC honors for the fourth consecutive year and repeats as a First Team selection from 2016.  Florida Southern's Nicole Mattson and Nova Southeastern University's Denvyr Tyler-Palmer move up to the First Team after Second Team accolades a year ago. Other repeat All-SSC winners include Bri Civiero and Shannon McDonough of Rollins College along with the University of Tampa's Taylor Fosler, Barry University's Kristina Filimonova, and Eckerd College's Kaitlyn Sibson⁸.

Player of the Year: Ally Rohn, Palm Beach Atlantic
Freshman of the Year: Melanie Canfield, Embry-Riddle
Newcomer of the Year: Melanie Canfield, Embry-Riddle
Coach of the Year: Jill Stephens, Florida Southern

^ = 2016 First Team All-SSC
*  = 2016 Second Team All-SSC
# = 2015 Second Team All-SSC
~ = Former All-SSC Newcomer Team Selection 

¹Charlie Dennis was named men's soccer Player of the Year in 2017.
²9th in Kills, 11th in Digs, 11th in Hitting Percentage
³27 sets fewer than co-leader Mckenzey Beck of Augusta.
⁴Stephens was previously named Coach of the Year in 2005
⁵Lois Webb won five Coach of the Year awards for FSC between 1982 and 1990
⁶Mike Rosolino was named women's cross country Coach of the Year in 2017
⁷Shannon McDonough (2014 - Rollins), Kayshia Brady (2012 - Florida Southern), Kahley Patrick (Tampa - 2011)
8Seven All-SSC First and Second Team selection in 2017 have previously been named to the All-Newcomer team, including former Freshman of the Year winners McDonough (Rollins - 2014) and Filimonova (Barry - 2016)