Gulls Claim Seven End of Year NEWVA Honors

BEVERLY, Mass. - The Endicott women's volleyball team garnered a total of seven honors from the New England Women's Volleyball Association's (NEWVA) annual awards selection between the NEWVA All-New England Team, the NEWVA All-Rookie Team, and the NEWVA Senior Classic, as was announced earlier this week. The honors come after a season in which the Gulls claimed the eighth Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title in program history and advanced to the NCAA DIII Tournament for the eighth time as well.

Earning NEWVA All-New England honors were middle Colleen McAvoy (Coventry, Conn.), who was named to the First Team, and Second Team honorees Amanda Gilbert (Hopkinton, Mass.), and Riley Donahue (South Windsor, Conn.). Donahue was also one of 14 student-athletes to be named to the NEWVA All-Rookie Team, while McAvoy and Gilbert were selected for the Senior Classic. Additionally, senior Carley Gagnon (Goffstown, N.H.) received Honorable Mention recognition for the Senior Classic.

McAvoy's NEWVA First Team All-New England and Senior Classic nods add to a slew of individual accolades in 2021, as she had already been named an AVCA Second Team All-American (first in program history), and had received AVCA All-New England and All-CCC First Team honors. This is the third NEWVA honor of her career following her All-Rookie team nod in 2018, and her All-NEWVA Honorable Mention nod as a sophomore.

Gilbert's Second Team and Senior Classic nods cap an impressive senior campaign in which she was also named to the AVCA All-New England First Team, and received AVCA All-America Honorable Mention recognition.

Donahue's Second Team and All-Rookie Team distinctions follow her CCC Rookie of the Year, All-CCC First Team, and AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention nods.

For Gagnon, her Senior Classic Honorable Mention recognition is the first All-Region honor of her career, as her 11-kill effort on Sept. 10 against AVCA No. 20 Bowdoin helped the team claim its first win over a nationally-ranked opponent on the season.

YEAR IN REVIEW

Endicott finished the season with a 21-9 record overall which included a perfect 9-0 record against conference opponents. The Gulls claimed the eighth Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title in program history and advanced to the NCAA DIII Tournament for the eighth time as well.