Photo by: Rylan Nemesh
Three Earn Big 12 Honors
November 30, 2021 04:03 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Fifth-year senior middle blocker Briana Lynch, fifth-year senior outside hitter Adrian Ell and senior Lacey Zerwas of the West Virginia University volleyball team earned Big 12 postseason awards, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Lynch made her second career appearance on the all-conference first team after earning first-team recognition a year ago. Ell earned her first career all-conference first team honor after joining the Mountaineers in January, while Zerwas landed on the second team to collect her second career All-Big 12 honor.
"Congratulations to Bri, Adrian and Lacey," coach Reed Sunahara Said. "Their hard work has paid off, and it has helped our program to get to where it is today. I'm happy for all of them, not because they are great volleyball players, but even better people."
Lynch, a native of Johns Creek, Georgia, ended the 2021 season ranked No. 5 in the Big 12 with a .351 hitting efficiency. She hit above .400 12 times and recorded 283 kills, with just 63 errors, on 626 attacks. Lynch registered double-digit kills in 16 matches, including five of the last six contests.
Ell, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, played all in 28 matches and 98 sets in her first season with the Mountaineers. Averaging 3.42 kills per set, Ell ranked No. 7 in the Big 12 and No. 10 in service aces with .29 per set. Ell tallied 335 kills, with a total of 921 attacks. She led the Mountaineers in kills in 16 matches, with 19 being in double digits. She recorded double-digit kills in 12 of her last 13 matches. Additionally, Ell tallied 263 digs, with 12 matches being in the double-digits.
Zerwas, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, finished her senior campaign ranked No. 2 in the conference. She dished out 40-plus assists 12 times and totaled 1011 assists on the year. Zerwas notched 52 assists in a match against Hampton on Aug. 28, 2021. She also registered 265 digs and 32 total blocks.
The All-Big 12 awards are voted on by the league's coaches.
The honorees were led by Big 12 Player of the Year Logan Eggleston (Texas), Setter of the Year Hannah Sedwick (Baylor), Libero of the Year Marija Popovic (Iowa State) and Freshman of the Year Caroline Bien (Kansas). Texas coach Jerritt Elliott also earned his eighth career Big 12 Coach of the Year nod.
Seventeen student-athletes were named to the All-Big 12 First Team while seven were chosen to the Second Team.
The Mountaineers ended the 2021 season with a 19-19 overall mark and an 8-8 record in Big 12 play.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Lynch made her second career appearance on the all-conference first team after earning first-team recognition a year ago. Ell earned her first career all-conference first team honor after joining the Mountaineers in January, while Zerwas landed on the second team to collect her second career All-Big 12 honor.
"Congratulations to Bri, Adrian and Lacey," coach Reed Sunahara Said. "Their hard work has paid off, and it has helped our program to get to where it is today. I'm happy for all of them, not because they are great volleyball players, but even better people."
Lynch, a native of Johns Creek, Georgia, ended the 2021 season ranked No. 5 in the Big 12 with a .351 hitting efficiency. She hit above .400 12 times and recorded 283 kills, with just 63 errors, on 626 attacks. Lynch registered double-digit kills in 16 matches, including five of the last six contests.
Ell, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, played all in 28 matches and 98 sets in her first season with the Mountaineers. Averaging 3.42 kills per set, Ell ranked No. 7 in the Big 12 and No. 10 in service aces with .29 per set. Ell tallied 335 kills, with a total of 921 attacks. She led the Mountaineers in kills in 16 matches, with 19 being in double digits. She recorded double-digit kills in 12 of her last 13 matches. Additionally, Ell tallied 263 digs, with 12 matches being in the double-digits.
Zerwas, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, finished her senior campaign ranked No. 2 in the conference. She dished out 40-plus assists 12 times and totaled 1011 assists on the year. Zerwas notched 52 assists in a match against Hampton on Aug. 28, 2021. She also registered 265 digs and 32 total blocks.
The All-Big 12 awards are voted on by the league's coaches.
The honorees were led by Big 12 Player of the Year Logan Eggleston (Texas), Setter of the Year Hannah Sedwick (Baylor), Libero of the Year Marija Popovic (Iowa State) and Freshman of the Year Caroline Bien (Kansas). Texas coach Jerritt Elliott also earned his eighth career Big 12 Coach of the Year nod.
Seventeen student-athletes were named to the All-Big 12 First Team while seven were chosen to the Second Team.
The Mountaineers ended the 2021 season with a 19-19 overall mark and an 8-8 record in Big 12 play.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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