2021 AVCA Division III All-America Teams
Nine Liberty League volleyball players were recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) with All-America accolades following the 2021 season.
Four conference institutions were represented with Clarkson University, the 2021 Liberty League Volleyball Champions, and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the 2021 Liberty League regular season champions headlining the selections with three honorees apiece. Ithaca College had two representatives and St. Lawrence University had one.
RIT’s Katie Hobler, the 2021 Liberty League and New York Region Player of the Year, earned a spot on the third team and eight were selected honorable mention.
AVCA Division III All-America Third Team
Katie Hobler – RIT
Hobler led the Liberty League in hitting percentage (.306) and was second in kills per set (4.18) and points per set (4.80). She is also among the top 10 in blocks per set with 0.56 (57 total). Hobler finished her senior campaign ranked 13th in Division III in kills per set. She compiled double-digit kill totals in all but three matches this fall, including a season-high 22 in the Liberty League Semifinals. A three-time Liberty League Performer of the Week selection, Hobler played and started in all 28 matches for the Tigers, she was tops on RIT in kills, points and hitting percentage.
AVCA Division III All-America Honorable Mention
Emma Baxter – Clarkson
Baxter, the libero for the Golden Knights played in 30 matches in 2021. She paced the team and league in digs per set with 5.21, which ranked her among the top-50 in all of Division III. She also contributed 0.42 aces per set (45 total). She helped Clarkson to its 11th trip to the NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the second round, and eighth conference title since 2012.
Isabelle Crow – Clarkson
Crow saw playing time in all 30 matches for Clarkson this season en route to the Golden Knights’ second Liberty League title since 2019. She was second among league leaders in assists per set averaging nearly nearly 10 per set (9.94), good for 23rd in Division III. She also produced 0.56 kills per set and 2.72 digs per set.
Jordynlyn Hayashi – Ithaca
Hayashi played in 26 matches for the Bombers this season where she amassed 473 digs and average 4.83 digs per set. She ranked second among league leaders in digs per set and she helped Ithaca make its 23rd overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the Bombers earned an at-large bid in 2021.
Taylor Higgins – RIT
Higgins wrapped up the 2021 season ranked third in the conference for kills per set with 3.33 and eighth in hitting percentage at .241. She was also ninth in aces per set (0.45). Higgins produced double-digit kills in 17 matches and played in 30 matches for the Tigers. She helped the Tigers to an unblemished mark of 7-0 against league opponents during the regular season and they earned the top seed of the 2021 Liberty League tournament.
Jamie Koopman – Ithaca
Koopman participated in all 29 matches for Ithaca this season. She finished the year with a .296 hitting percentage and 227 kills. She was ranked second among league leaders in hitting percentage and 10th in kills per set, averaging 2.25. Koopman was also one of the league’s top blockers with a combined total of 79 (0.78 per set).
Gillian Kurtic – Clarkson
Kurtic paced the league in hitting percentage (.311) and was among the top-10 in kills per set (7th, 2.92) during the 2021 campaign. She played in all 30 matches for Clarkson this season and was also seventh in aces (0.47) and blocks per set (0.65) among league leaders.
Sydney Neff – RIT
Neff, in her first season on the court for the Tigers, made an immediate impact, playing in 26 of the team’s 30 matches. A four-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week selection, Neff led the team and league in assists per set with 10.58, recording 889 on the year. Nationally, Neff is ranked 10th in assists per set. She also registered 1.90 digs per set, good for fourth for the Tigers.
Natalie Piper – St. Lawrence
Piper played in all 28 matches for St. Lawrence this season as the Saints finished the year at 17-11 and advanced to the Liberty League Championship match for the first time since the conference moved the tournament to a single elimination format in 2011. Piper paced the league with 4.28 kills per set, setting a single season record for St. Lawrence. She also set the program record in career kills per set (3.87) and hitting percentage in a match (.700) for the Saints. Piper had four matches with 21 or more kills and finishes her career with 1,187 kills, ranking her fourth in program history.