OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Association of Division III Independents released its All-Independent Teams and Awards on Tuesday. The Illinois Tech women's volleyball team had seven players earn spots on either the first or second teams with one player earning an individual award.
Sara Hassell had a dominant year as freshman for Illinois Tech and was named Rookie of the Year and AD3I First Team. She led the Division III Independents with 384 kills with an average of 3.59 per set and 1,209 total attacks. Hassell had 40 total service aces, 285 digs and 61 total blocks—10 solo and 51 block assists. Hassell led all of AD3I with 459.5 total points.
Alyssa Miner was named to the AD3I First Team as a middle hitter. She recorded an AD3I seventh-best 198 kills on a .210 attack percentage. Miner also provided a strong defensive presence at the net, with 79 total blocks: 15 solo and 64 block assists. She finished the year with 272 points, which ranked sixth-best.
Taylor Burton was also named to the AD3I First Team as a middle hitter after an outstanding season for Illinois Tech. She was dominant in all facets of blocking, ranking second among AD3I in total blocks (82), solo blocks (18), block assists (64) and blocks per set (0.72). She was also dominant with regards to kills, tallying 299 with a highly-efficient .264 hitting percentage. Burton ended the season with a total of 349 points.
Senior Reya Green was a key-contributor for the Scarlet Hawks, earning AD3I First Team honors. She played great defense, recording 279 digs while averaging 2.61 per set. Green also was strong from behind the service line, totaling 33 service aces throughout the year.
Courtney Curcio provided defensive stability for Illinois Tech as a libero on her way to AD3I First Team acknowledgment. She had 535 digs from the libero position, 4.69 per set (second overall). The sophomore added 93 assists on the season and had 29 service aces.
Natalie Freund debuted an impressive freshman year and earned an AD3I First Team award at setter. She amassed 526 assists (4.74 per set) to rank third among AD3I in both categories. Freund also had 215 digs and a team-high 47 service aces.
Courtney Darling had a solid sophomore year for the Scarlet Hawks, being recognized with AD3I Second Team honors. On offense, she had 18 service aces and also contributed 407 assists on the year. Darling averaged 4.20 assists per set, fifth-best for the season. She also provided a strong defensive presence with 197 digs.
Tech made the USCAA National Championships quarterfinal round and finished the season with a 17-20 record.