AVCA All-Region Teams
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M senior setter Allie Sawatzky has been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-South Region Team, the AVCA announced today. In addition, Aggie middle blockers Shelby Sullivan and Jazzmin Babers each earned honorable mention.
Voted on by the head coaches in their respective regions, Sawatzky received the most votes among all setters in the South Region, which includes 39 teams representing the Atlantic Sun Conference, the Big South Conference, Conference USA, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Southeastern Conference and the Southland Conference. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.
Sawatzky, who earned AVCA all-region honorable mention each of the last two years as well as AVCA Honorable Mention All-America accolades in 2012, guided Texas A&M to a 19-12 record and its third consecutive second-round appearance in the NCAA Championship in 2013. A member of the All-SEC Team, the 6-2 lefty directed a team offense that ranks 21st in the nation with 14.24 kills per set and 25th in the country with 13.23 assists per set.
From St. Andrews, Manitoba, Canada, Sawatzky led the SEC with six triple-doubles and 21 double-doubles for the full season. The attacking-minded setter not only averaged 9.97 assists per set, but she also averaged 2.14 kills per set while hitting .303. Sawatzky tallied 10 or more kills 13 times this past season, hitting a combined .451 when posting 10 or more kills. She also averaged 2.32 digs and 2.53 points per set.
Sawatzky earned all-tournament honors in all three pre-conference tournaments the Aggies participated in, including MVP accolades at the Texas A&M Invitational after leading the Aggies to the championship over No. 7 Michigan, No. 16 Florida State and Siena.
Sawatzky started every match (123) during her four-year career -- all at the setter position -- and played in 452 of 455 total sets. She finishes her tenure ranked third in the A&M career records with 4,547 assists and is 10th in career points with 936.5.
Sullivan, a 6-2 sophomore from Richardson, Texas, started every match and played in every set for the Aggies in 2013. An All-SEC Team selection, the J.J. Pearce High School product hit .386 for the full season, ranking second in the A&M all-time season records behind former All-American Sherri Brinkman, who hit .400 as a junior in 1984.
Sullivan's .386 hitting percentage currently ranks 31st in the nation and was fifth best in the SEC. She also finished SEC play ranked in the top 20 in the league in kills (2.75), blocks (0.81), aces (0.31) and points (3.52) per set in all matches.
Babers, who was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and twice earned SEC weekly honors during the season, averaged 1.31 blocks per set, ranking 39th in the nation and second in the SEC. The redshirt freshman from Charleston, Ill. (Midway, H.S., Waco, Texas) had five matches in which she recorded nine or more blocks, including a career-high 11 blocks against No. 7 Michigan on Sept. 13. The 11 blocks is the most blocks by an A&M freshman since 2001.
Babers, who joined Sawatzky and Sullivan in the starting lineup for every match and hit .285 while averaging 1.92 kills and 2.65 points while playing in every set, finished the season with 128 block assists, ranking sixth in the A&M all-time single season records.
The following is the complete 2013 AVCA All-South Region Team:
Name School Position Year
Megan Devine East Tennessee State University OH Sr.
Jewell Dobson Lipscomb University MB Jr.
Lauren Ford Lipscomb University OH Jr.
Kimmy Gardiner Mississippi State University RS Fr.
Meredith Hays University of Arkansas OH Jr.
Briana Holman Louisiana State University MB Fr.
Camila Jersonsky Auburn University MB Sr.
Roxanne McVey Mississippi State University L So.
Tyler Richardson Middle Tennessee State University MB RS So.
Krystal Rivers University of Alabama MB RS Fr.
Raymariely Santos University of Arkansas S Sr.
Allie Sawatzky Texas A&M University S Sr.
Brittany Thomas University of Alabama OH Fr.
Sierra Wilson University of Alabama S So.
Freshman of the Year: Briana Holman, LSU, MB
Coach of the Year: Edwin Allen, Alabama
Honorable Mention
Name School Position Year
Jazzmin Babers Texas A&M University MB RS-Fr.
Laura Der Marshall University OH Sr.
Quinci Hayward Southern Mississippi MB So.
Emily Helm University of Arkansas L Sr.
Sara Pope Oral Roberts University OH Jr.
Shelby Sullivan Texas A&M University MB So.
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