Donahue Named Rookie of the Year as the Gulls Collect Six All-CCC Honors

BEVERLY, Mass. - The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) released its women's volleyball all-conference awards on Tuesday afternoon and Endicott saw two major award winners headline five total All-CCC honors for the Gulls.

Leading the way with the CCC Rookie of the Year honor was Riley Donahue (South Windsor, Conn.) while head coach Tim Byram claimed Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time in his Endicott career. 

Those two major honors were joined by First Team All-CCC honorees Donahue, Colleen McAvoy (Coventry, Conn.), and Amanda Gilbert (Hopkinton, Mass.), and Second Team All-CCC honoree Lauren McGrath (Franklin, Mass.).

CCC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR | ALL-CCC FIRST TEAM

Riley Donahue | Fr. | OH | South Windsor, Conn.

Donahue becomes the sixth student-athlete in program history to earn CCC Rookie of the Year honors, joining McAvoy (2018), Mackenzie Guerre (2012), Alexandra Gearin (2011), Meghan Hall (2004), and Briana Bates (2001). After earning three CCC Rookie of the Week honors (Sept. 12, Oct. 3 & Oct. 10), Donahue finished the regular season averaging a team-leading 2.82 kills/set and 3.3 points/set, while finishing second on the team with 223 kills and third with 181 digs. The outside produced five double-double performances and finished with double-digit kill totals in 10 matches, which included a season-high of 21 kills against AVCA No. 3 nationally ranked Trinity (Tex.). Donahue also was named to the All-CCC First Team for her efforts.

CCC COACH OF THE YEAR

Tim Byram

Head coach Tim Byram, who is in his 21st year as head coach at Endicott College, has been selected as the CCC Coach of the Year by his peers for the fifth time in his storied career. Byram has previously earned the distinction in 2004, 2008, 2016, and 2019. Under his direction, the Gulls have now claimed the top seed in the CCC Tournament for the 10th time after going 18-8 overall and a perfect 9-0 in CCC play. The 9-0 record in conference play marks  the sixth time that Endicott has gone undefeated in CCC play during his tenure, as the Gulls have claimed the CCC title each of the previous five occurrences. Throughout Byram's 21 seasons as head coach, the Gulls have gone 420-282 (.598) overall and 154-29 (.842) in CCC play. Over that span, Endicott has won seven CCC titles, advancing to the NCAA DIII Tournament in each of those seasons. 

ALL-CCC FIRST TEAM 

Amanda Gilbert | Sr. | OH | Hopkinton, Mass.

Gilbert earns the third All-CCC honor of her career by earning All-CCC First Team honors for the first time after being named to the Third Team in 2018, and Second Team in 2019. The senior finished the regular season with 250 kills and averaging 3.3 points/set, good for first on the roster, while her 2.81 kills/set and 2.39 digs/set were good for second and third on the roster, respectively. Gilbert ended the regular season with seven double-double performances, highlighted by a season-high 16 kills, which she accomplished in the team's 3-2 win over AVCA No. 22 Babson 3-2, and in the team's 3-1 setback to Wesleyan (Conn.). The Hopkinton, Mass. native posted a high of 15 digs four times on the season while she finished with 15 or more points seven times in the regular season.

ALL-CCC FIRST TEAM 

Colleen McAvoy | Sr. | MB | Coventry, Conn.

McAvoy earns All-CCC First Team honors for the first time in her career after being named to the Second Team in 2018 & 2019. The middle led the team in hitting percentage with a .419 average overall, which elevated to .466 against CCC opponents., both of which were good for second amongst all CCC student-athletes. McAvoy finished the regular season with 192 kills, 65 blocks and 256.5 points as she averaged 2.09 kills/set, .71 blocks/set, and 2.8 points/set, all of which either led the team or were within the top three. For her career at Endicott, McAvoy is now hitting .361 while averaging 2.2 kills/set, .78 blocks/set and 2.9 points/set.

ALL-CCC SECOND TEAM 

Lauren McGrath | Jr. | S | Franklin, Mass.

McGrath earns All-CCC recognition for the first time in her career as she was named to the All-CCC Second Team in 2021. The junior has played a pivotal role in guiding Endicott to league-best marks in hitting percentage overall (.228), hitting percentage in CCC play (.285), kills/set overall (12.05), kills/set in CCC play (12.80), and assists/set overall (11.32) and in CCC play (11.83). McGrath herself averaged a team-best 6.57 assists/set in CCC play while operating in a 6-2 offense, while she eclipsed the 20 assist mark 13 times on the season, including a high of 41 in Endicott's 3-2 win over Wheaton (Mass.). The Franklin, Mass. native also averaged 1.71 digs/set and produced double-digit dig totals in five matches during the regular season.

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)