Post by FU73 on Nov 16, 2017 20:49:45 GMT -5
Skyler Day was named the 2017 MAAC Player of the Year, becoming the first Stag to win the award in back-to-back campaigns. She is the first student-athlete from any MAAC institution to earn the honor in consecutive seasons since Siena's Burgandy McCurty collected Player of the Year laurels in three straight campaigns from 2007-09.
"As a six-rotation outside hitter, Skyler never comes off the court," said Kress. "When we need a point, we look to Sky on the left, right, in the middle of the court or wherever we can find her. When you have a point scorer that you can consistently trust like that, it has been a real difference maker for us. The numbers she has put up in an abbreviated career at Fairfield are incredible."
Manuela Nicolini is the 2017 MAAC Setter of the Year. She joins three-time winner Rachel Romansky '14 and two-time recipient Barbie Thistle as the third Stag to earn the honor. Nicolini is the first sophomore to earn MAAC Setter of the Year laurels since Romansky in 2011. She is also a 2017 First Team All-MAAC selection.
"Manuela has improved as the year as gone on. There's a nice flow to how she runs our offense – she makes solid decisions, she gets our middles involved and puts them in a good position to score. The rapport and chemistry that she built with two freshman middles has been a big part of what she has done," Kress said.
Fairfield was led to a 23-6 overall record and its second consecutive 18-0 MAAC regular season by Head Coach Todd Kress, who extends his own conference record with his sixth MAAC Coach of the Year Award. Kress earned the award in three straight campaigns from 1996-98 during his initial run with the Stags, and has now claimed the honor in each of the last three seasons. In his eight seasons at the helm with Fairfield, Kress is 185-79 (.701) with an 88-16 (.846) MAAC record. He has led Fairfield to four MAAC Championships and NCAA postseason appearances (1997, 1998, 2015, 2016). Kress has been on the sidelines for four undefeated MAAC campaigns, leading the 1997 and 1998 clubs to 9-0 marks and posting an 18-0 conference tally in each of the last two seasons.
"This is a tribute to the hard work of everybody around me and the culture that we have built in our gym. I don't believe that any one person in the program is more important than anybody else, so this is an accomplishment that I share with everybody. In addition to our student-athletes, I credit what Julia (Anderson) has done as a first year assistant coach, and the work Montanna (Casey) has done getting our players healthy and back on the court. We all work together, and this award represents the efforts of all of us in the program."
Megan Theiller was voted by the MAAC's head coaches as Second Team All-MAAC. Rounding out the individual honorees, both of Fairfield's freshman middle blockers – Luci Albertson and Kaylie Butts – earned slots on the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
www.maacsports.com/news/2017/11/16/maac-announces-2017-volleyball-all-maac-teams-major-award-winners.aspx
