Four Players Receive All-American Accolades; Brian Imperiale named National Assistant Coach of the Year

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tampa volleyball has four players receive All-American accolades. Associate head coach, Brian Imperiale was named National Assistant Coach of the Year as announced by the AVCA Wednesday afternoon. Mackenzie Dufresne and Nathaly Perez lead the way as First Team All-American selections, JJ Ramirez earns Third Team All-American honors, and Kalli Cors was named Honorable Mention.

After leading all of NCAA Division II in hitting percentage in 2022, Dufresne is once again at the top. This season the senior middle blocker is tied for the top spot hitting .451. The Tarpon Springs native was a First Team All-SSC selection and was most recently named CCA First Team All-South Region and AVCA All-South Region.

This season Perez was a First Team All-SSC selection and was named AVCA All-South Region. The sophomore has tallied 17 double-digit kill performances this season and leads the team in kills with 302 and kills per set with 2.90.

Ramirez was a First Team-All SSC selection and was named SSC Defensive Player of the Year for the first time. The Fleming Island native totaled 537 digs and led the SSC in digs averaged per set with .489. In addition, she earned CCA First Team All-South Region accolades and  AVCA All-South Region honors.

Cors was selected as SSC Offensive Player of the Week once this season and was most recently named Second Team All-SSC. The outside hitter also earned AVCA All-South Region Accolades for the second time in her career. Cors was second on the team in kills averaged per set with 2.59.

Imperiale is in his 10th season at the University of Tampa. This season he has helped guide the Spartans to wins in their first 24 matches and a 19-1 record in conference play. During his tenure at Tampa, Imperiale has been a part of three national championships. This award is the first of his career.