Five Spartans Receive AVCA & D2CCA All-Region Accolades
PENSACOLA, Fla., - Tampa is well represented in this year's AVCA and D2CCA All-Region Awards. Five Spartans have been selected to All-Region teams including Claudia Rivera, Katie McKiel, Sorrel Houghton, Taylor Fosler, and Melissa Elias.
The AVCA All-Region teams consist of nine players from the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) and five from the Gulf South Conference (GSC). The D2CCA All-Region teams consist of eight players from Sunshine State conference (SSC) schools, and six student-athletes from Gulf South Conference (GSC) schools.
A First-Team All-SSC selection, Rivera was awarded an AVCA South Region selection as well as 1st Team D2CCA All-Region selection this week. She recorded a conference leading 543 digs in the regular season, averaging 5.27 per set. She is having the best year of her career as she passed a career milestone 1,000 digs earlier in the season.
McKiel was also a First-Team All-SSC selection as well as an AVCA South Region 1st team and D2CCA All-Region 1st Team Selection. She recorded 308 kills over the course of the season and averaged 2.91 kills/set. In her fifth season with the Spartans, McKiel recorded a career milestone 1,500 kills.
Fosler, an AVCA South Region Honorable Mention and 2nd Team D2CCA All-Region Team, recorded 140 kills over the course of the season and hit a career high .477% which led the SSC. She was 7th in the conference in blocks, and first in hitting percentage (.473) as she was awarded an All-SSC Second Team selection.
Houghton was selected to the AVCA South Region team after recording 273 kills at a rate of 2.6 per set. Similar to McKiel, Houghton recorded 1,500 career kills this season
Elias was selected to the D2CCA All-Region Team 2nd team. The senior recorded four triple-doubles in the 2021 season alone and recorded the first triple-double in UT history during her sophomore season. This year she has recorded at least 20 kills in 21 of the teams' games this season.
AVCA South Region Selection
OH Madi Cooler West Florida
MB Kassandra Fairly* Spring Hill
RS Tyler Fezzey West Florida
MB Marianna Fiocco NSU
OH Sorrel Houghton* Tampa
OH Nadia Lindner Lynn
OH Jaden McBride ERAU
OH Katie McKiel** Tampa
OH Alexandra Psoma NSU
L Claudia Rivera Tampa
S/RS Jasmine Schmidt PBA
OH Djuly Schmorantz Barry
S Taylor Vaneekeren West Florida
MB Veresia Yon* West Florida
AVCA South Region Honorable Mention
MB Taylor Fosler Tampa
MB Samantha Lanning Embry-Riddle
L Ashton Marshall West Florida
OH Elizabeth Price NSU
MB Kendall Scharbert Huntsville
OH Evelina Teran Montevallo
D2CCA Volleyball South Regional Player of the Year
MH/B Veresia Yon -- University of West Florida (So., Tallahassee, Fla.)
1st Team D2CCA All-Region Team
OH Madi Cooler – West Florida (Jr., Hilton Head, S.C.)
OH Katie McKiel* – Tampa (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.)
OH Tyler Fezzey – West Florida (Sr., Riverside, Calif.)
MH/B Veresia Yon* -- West Florida (So., Tallahassee, Fla.)
MH/B Kendall Scharbert – Alabama-Huntsville (Sr., Birmingham, Ala.)
L/DS Claudia Rivera – Tampa (Jr., Gurabo, PR.)
S Taylor Vaneekeren – West Florida (Jr., Naperville, Ill.)
2nd Team D2CCA All-Region Team
OH Jazz Schmidt – Palm Beach Atlantic (Sr., Parker, Colo.)
OH Jaden McBride – Embry-Riddle (Fr., St. Johns, Fla.)
OH Nadia Lindner – Lynn (Jr., Whitby, Ontario)
MH/B Lauren Odom – Lynn (Sr., Tampa, Fla.)
MH/B Taylor Fosler – Tampa (Sr., Ocala, Fla.)
L/DS Ashton Marshall – West Florida (Sr., Gainesville, Fla.)
S Melissa Elias – Tampa (Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.)
*2019 D2CCA South Region First Team Selection