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Contact: Jacob Skipper, William & Mary
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JMU's Steinbrecher Named Coach of the Year in Volleyball
 
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Virginia Tech senior All-American Felicia Willoughby was honored Thursday as the 2010 Virginia State Volleyball Player of the Year, after a vote of the Virginia Sports Information Directors.  With the award came a spot on the all-state first team, the fourth in a row for the Pleasanton, Calif. native.  Also earning top honors in the state this season were Virginia freshman McKenzie Adams as the Rookie of the Year, and James Madison mentor Lauren Steinbrecher as the Coach of the Year.

2010 VaSID University Division Volleyball All-State Team
 
Willoughby earned her second All-American honor this season, after totalling 328 kills and 124 total blocks for the Hokies.  She was joined on the all-state first team by teammate Cara Baarendse, who also earned honorable-mention All-America accolades in 2010.  Baarendse was a first-team All-ACC performer as an outside hitter, totalling 385 kills on a .376 attack.  Virginia also had two first-team honorees in junior Simone Asque and sophomore Jessica O'Shoney.  Asque ranked third in the ACC with 419 kills this season, and also ranked second in the league with 36 service aces.  O'Shoney was an honorable-mention all-region selection for the Cavaliers, and led the team with a .338 attack and 118 total blocks.

Also making the all-state first-team was Liberty senior Karyl Bacon, and William and Mary senior Ginny Bray.  Bacon, an outside hitter from Temecula, Calif., was named first-team All-Big South this season after scoring 496 kills and 333 digs.  Bray was a second-team selection in the CAA, after ranking third in the league with 1.16 blocks per set and a .303 attack.

McKenzie Adams was one of the top freshmen in the nation in 2010, earning Rookie of the Year honors from the ACC and in the AVCA's East Region in addition to her state award.  She averaged 3.03 kills per set, ninth on Virginia's all-time freshman list, and also totaled 172 digs and 67 blocks on the year.  Steinbrecher led James Madison to a 22-8 record (10-4 CAA) in her first season at the helm, earning co-Coach of the Year honors from the Colonial Athletic Association.  JMU's turnaround from the 2009 season (11 wins) was tied as the sixth-best in the nation this fall.

Earning second-team honors were seven athletes.  James Madison and Liberty each had two players on the team, with the Dukes providing senior Lindsay Callahan and sophomore Danielle Erb while the Flames had freshman Jade Craycraft and junior Kelly Haseman.  Also making the squad was VCU senior Kelsie Clegg, Virginia Tech junior Erin Leaser, and Virginia senior AJ Cushman.

VaSID was formed in 1983, and is comprised of sports information professionals from NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions from the state of Virginia. The purpose of the organization is to promote college athletics at all four-year institutions.  For more information, please visit the VaSID website http://www.ferrum.edu/athletics/vasid/.

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