Kirsten Bernthal Booth named AVCA Region Coach of the Year honors for the second straight year.
AVCA Honors 12 Players And Head Coach Booth In Regional Awards Announcement
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Twelve BIG EAST student-athletes earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Regional honors as announced by the organization on Tuesday. Creighton’s Kirsten Bernthal Booth earned Division I East Region Coach of the Year honors for the second year in a row. Additionally, the Bluejays, that will be appearing in their second NCAA Regional in as many years, also boast the AVCA East Region Freshman of the Year in Brittany Witt.
In the East Region, the BIG EAST made up half of the all-region team with seven players on the 14-member squad. Four players come from BIG EAST regular season and tournament champion Creighton, including BIG EAST Player of the Year Lydia Dimke, a junior setter; sophomore outside hitter Taryn Kloth; junior middle blocker Marysa Wilkinson and sophomore outside hitter Jaali Winters. Also on the all-region East team was Xavier senior outside hitter Abbey Bessler, teammate Sofia Peterson, a right side hitter and Butler sophomore outside hitter Anna Logan. Bessler has been an All-East honoree for years. It is Winters’ second time on the all-region team. She was last year’s East Region Freshman of the Year. Bessler, Logan, Dimke and Winters were all unanimous selections to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Koth and Peterson were also all-conference first team selections. Wilkinson was a BIG EAST Second Team honoree.
In the East Coast Region, Marquette had a pair of sophomores on the all-region team with outside hitter Taylor Louis and middle blocker Jenna Rosenthal. Louis is making her second appearance on the East Coast All-Region team. Louis was an All-BIG EAST First Team unanimous selection, Rosenthal was also on the first team. Three-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Tessa Fournier from Seton Hall and Marquette senior middle blocker Meghan Neimann were named All-East Coast Region honorable mention. Both Fournier and Niemann were All-BIG EAST First Team members.
Creighton’s Kirsten Bernthal Booth repeats as the AVCA East Region Coach of the Year. The head coach of the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, Booth led the Bluejays to the first 18-0 conference record in BIG EAST history en route to the program’s third straight outright league title and tournament championship. Booth’s Bluejays advanced to the NCAA tournament Round of 16 for the second season in a row as Creighton defeated the fifth-seeded Kansas to hand the Jayhawks their first home loss in the 2016 season. Going into the NCAA Regionals, Creighton is 28-6 overall.
Also for the second year in a row, Creighton boasts the East Region Freshman of the Year. This year, rookie libero Brittany Witt earns the honor. Witt was also East Region honorable mention. Witt was BIG EAST Freshman of the Week twice this season. Through 34 matches played, Witt averaged 4.15 digs per set.
All-Region selections will be placed on a ballot for voting for All-America.
2016 AVCA Division I Regional Awards
East Region
Abbey Bessler, Xavier, Sr., OH ***
Lydia Dimke, Creighton, Jr., Setter
Taryn Kloth, Creighton, Sr., OH
Anna Logan, Butler, So., OH
Sofia Peterson, Xavier, Sr., RS
Marysa Wilkinson, Creighton, Jr., MB
Jaali Winters, Creighton, So., OH**
Honorable Mention: Brittany Witt, Creighton, Fr., L
East Region Freshman of the Year: Brittany Witt, Creighton, Libero
East Region Coach of the Year: Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton
East Coast Region
Taylor Louis, Marquette, So., OH **
Jenna Rosenthal, Marquette, So., MB
Honorable Mention: Tessa Fournier, Seton Hall, Sr., L; Meghan Niemann, Marquette, Sr., MB
* - denotes total number o years selected to the AVCA Division I All-Region Team