LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (Nov. 24) – California University of Pennsylvania senior outside hitter
Joanna Nist (Rockwood, Pa./Rockwood) was named the Daktronics Atlantic Region Player of the Year for a third-consecutive season to lead a trio of Vulcans on the All-Atlantic Region First Team on Tuesday.
Joining Nist as first-team selections were senior middle hitter
Ludmila Amaral (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Afonso Schimidt) and senior setter
Renata da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Ateneu).
Nist leads the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and ranks 23rd in NCAA Division II with 3.89 kills per set. She also ranks third on the team with 3.15 digs and 0.29 service aces per set. The 5-10 outside hitter leads the Vulcans with 20 kill/dig double-doubles this year. Nist, who was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year earlier this month, ranks second in school history with 1,882 career kills and is already the program’s all-time leader with 178 service aces and 515 sets played.
Amaral is among the league leaders with a .325 hitting percentage and 1.06 blocks per set. A two-time All-PSAC West First-Team selection, she ranks second on the team with 2.63 kills per set and also averages 1.02 digs per set. In only two years with the program, Amaral is among the career leaders with 879 kills and 306 blocks.
da Silva leads the PSAC and ranks 12th in the country with 11.39 assists per set. She also averages 2.19 digs, 0.81 kills and 0.50 blocks per set. A two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American, da Silva has shattered the school record with 5,451 career assists and also ranks among the all-time leaders in digs, service aces and sets played.
The Vulcans are the only team to feature multiple selections on the all-region first-team. The three Cal U standouts are now eligible for the Daktronics All-American teams.
The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition.