JWU's Coniglio, Frank & Walker Earn AVCA All-America Honors
For the second year in a row, the Johnson & Wales University women's volleyball team has produced a trio of All-Americans.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Image/Story Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications
LOUISVILLE, Ky.– For the second year in a row, the Johnson & Wales University women's volleyball team produced a trio of All-Americans. Maria Coniglio, Brylee Frank and Kate Walker were honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Coniglio earned First-Team honors while Frank collected Second-Team accolades and Walker was a Third-Team selection. Coniglio and Frank are the first JWU student-athletes in any sport to earn three All-America awards. After honorable mention selections their freshman year, Coniglio was second-team in 2017 and Frank was a third-team selection.
Voted GNAC Tournament MVP, Coniglio joined Frank as the fourth and fifth players in school history to earn a trio of First-Team All-GNAC honors. Named GNAC Player of the Week on September 17, the Old Bethpage, NY native averaged 2.96 kills, 2.64 digs and 3.4 points per set. That rate increased to 3.62 kills and 4.06 points against regionally-ranked teams. She notched 11 matches with 10 or more kills, including a season-high 20 against #1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Frank was named AVCA National Player of the Week on September 3rd after recording the first triple-double in program history against CMS. The Palm City, Fla. native is the first Wildcat to earn Player of the Year since newly minted JWU Hall of Famer Cathy Bravo '12 in 2010. A two-time GNAC Player of the Week, Frank is eighth in the NCAA at 10.96 assists per game. She runs the top-ranked hitting team in the country and JWU is third at 14.05 kills per set.
A First-Team selection a year ago, Walker continues to be one of the top hitters in the country with a .407 hitting percentage that ranks fourth in the NCAA. The GNAC Player of the Week on September 24, she averaged 3.06 kills per set and 0.77 blocks per set. A native of Oakland, Calif., she had 12 double-digit kill matches with a career-high 18 versus No. 24 Bowdoin. Walker was named to the GNAC and NCAA Regional All-Tournament teams.
Johnson & Wales season ended over the weekend with a loss in the finals of the Providence Regional. The Wildcats completed the year with a 33-2 record and had a 60-game home court winning streak that was third-longest in NCAA Division III history.