The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) announced Tuesday its annual All-SUNYAC Women's Volleyball team with two Hawks selected to the all-star squad.
Freshman outside
Reagan Dyba and junior setter
Kim Braun round out SUNY New Paltz' 38-year tenure as a member of the SUNYAC, as they are the last two selections for the conference before the program moves to the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) next season.
Over the course of nearly four decades of SUNYAC play, the Hawks have had a total of 94 athletes named to the annual all-conference team, starting with Leanne Nagelhout in 1990. SUNY New Paltz has been a presence in SUNYAC women's volleyball for the last two-plus decades. Since 2002 the Hawks have amassed 23 consecutive .500-plus win seasons, appearing in 21 straight SUNYAC post-season tournaments, including 11 semifinals, seven finals and winning three SUNYAC championships.
To view the complete All SUNYAC women's volleyball team, click here.
Read more about each Hawk selection below:
Second Team All-SUNYAC
Reagan Dyba (freshman/outside hitter)
Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central Regional HS
Dyba became an immediate starter and impact player for the Hawks in her first year in collegiate volleyball, developing in SUNY New Paltz's best hitter. In her efforts this past season, helping the Hawks to a No. 3 seed in the SUNYAC Tournament, she earned her first career All-SUNYAC honor, landing on second team.
Dyba offered SUNY New Paltz the promise of a dynamic presence on the volleyball court and lived up to that promise. She saw action in 102 sets, second among the Hawks and started in 25 of 30 matches. Offensively, the Flemington, NJ native scored a team-leading 307.5 points, averaging more than three points per set. Dyba also sled the team in kills (270) and kills per set (2.65), while adding 22 aces, sixth most for the Hawks.
Dyba scored double figure kills in 13 matches, six of which came against SUNYAC action with a career-best 16 kills in a 3-0 win over SUNY Canton, while totaling a non-conference high of 12 in against Union. She also tallied her first career SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Week nod the week of Oct. 20 after leading her team to sweeps over Potsdam and Plattsburgh where she led the team in both points and kills in both matchups.
Defensively, Dyba record 178 digs, fifth most on the team with 27 blocks, fourth-most for the Hawks. Against SUNYAC competition, Dyba played in 31 sets, starting all regular season nine conference matches. She totaled 104.45 points with 93 kills and six service aces. She added 53 digs, along with 10 blocks and nine block assists.
Third Team All-SUNYAC
Kim Braun (junior/setter)
Garrison, NY/Walter Panas HS
Braun captained the Hawks to its 21st consecutive playoff appearance and finished the year with her best season to-date, becoming a full rotation player as the Hawks' main setter in their 6-1 formation en route to her first All-SUNYAC nod, earning a spot on third team.
SUNY New Paltz's co-captain saw action in 97 sets overall, starting all 28 games, she played in. Offensively she tallied 69 points on the season and was second in service aces with 40. She led the team with 629 assists, averaging 6.48 assists per set. Braun totaled five-straight games with 30-plus assists and had a career-high 43 in a four-set win over SUNY Morrisville. Braun also totaled a season-high four aces in two matches over the year, which came in a 3-0 sweep of Merchant Marine and in a 3-1 victory over the Mustangs.
Defensively, Braun added 226 digs, fourth for the Hawks, averaging 2.33 digs per set, also fourth most for SUNY New Paltz.
In SUNYAC play, Braun was tied for first in sets played with 32, starting all nine conference matches. She was tops for SUNY New Paltz with 239 assists for a 7.47 assists per set average. Braun was second with 14 service aces against conference competition and was also second in SUNYAC action with 96 digs. Braun totaled 30-plus assists against Buffalo State (36), Montclair State (33), SUNY Canton (32), and 30 against Mt. St. Vincent and Clark. She added 18 digs against Buffalo State with 14 versus Stevens and 12 against Montclair State.
Braun had one of her best performances during SUNY New Paltz's quarterfinal win over Morrisville, facilitating the offense with 24 assists, while adding seven digs and totaling a game-high four aces, which included a pivotal 7-0 run in the first set that set the tone for the eventual sweep.
She concluded her junior campaign tallying career-highs in assists, assists per set, digs (226), digs per set (2.33) and blocks (4) with 40 aces, averaging .41 aces per set.
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