FAIRFIELD, Connecticut - Marist volleyball freshman Megan Fergus was named the 2016 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and senior Lexi Millington was selected as the conference's Co-Libero of the Year, it was announced at the awards banquet Nov. 17.
Fergus and Millington earned spots on the All-MAAC Second Team while Fergus was also honored on the conference's All-Rookie Team.
After slamming 280 kills during the regular season, Fergus compiled a .223 attack percentage to lead Marist hitters in 2016. She finished 10th in the MAAC averaging 2.77 kills per set and was named the conference's Rookie of the Week four times, including three consecutive weeks. Her 49 total blocks are the third most by a Red Fox this year.
Millington is the active career leader in NCAA volleyball with 205 service aces. The total is second all time in Marist history. This season, she is ranked 21st in the nation with 44 service aces and 30th in the country in aces per set (0.42). Millington's 4.77 digs per set are second in the MAAC entering the championships. She was on the Aztec and Cornell Invitational All-Tournament teams during the regular season.
Marist tied for second in the conference with eight selections to the All-Academic Team. To be eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or greater on a 4.0 scale. Senior Amanda Schlegel earned a spot for the second straight year as did juniors Kelsey Ediger and Ashton Korona. Junior Sydney Rojek and sophomores Mackenzie O'Brien, Melanie Snyder, Taylor van der Biezen, and Lauren Waide were first time honorees.
For the second straight year Marist will compete in the MAAC Championships as the no. 2 seed. The Red Foxes have earned a first round bye and will compete against the winner of the match between no. 3 Quinnipiac and no. 6 Niagara, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. Nov. 18. Marist's semifinal match is slated for 5 p.m. Nov. 19 and the championship final will be played at 2 p.m. Nov. 20.
All matches will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and held on George Bisacca Court in Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Connecticut. Tickets are available here.
MAAC Major Award Winners
Player of the Year: Skyler Day, Fairfield
Setter of the Year: Veronica Koval, Rider
Co-Libero of the Year: Lexi Millington, Marist & Rylee Hunt, Niagara
Rookie of the Year: Megan Fergus, Marist
Coach of the Year: Todd Kress, Fairfield
All-MAAC First Team
Player School
Skyler Day Fairfield
Megan Theiller Fairfield
Megan O'Sullivan Fairfield
Jenn Coffey Quinnipiac
Allison Leigh Quinnipiac
Hailey Riede Rider
Briana Flagg Siena
All-MAAC Second Team
Player School
Katlyn Tyler Canisius
Ivana Kostic Manhattan
Lexi Millington Marist
Megan Fergus Marist
Nicole Matheis Niagara
Rylee Hunt Niagara
Veronica Koval Rider
Kalehua Katagiri Siena
MAAC All-Rookie Team
Player School
Cassidy Cerianni Canisius
Manuela Nicolini Fairfield
Megan Fergus Marist
Caroline Leitsch Niagara
Maria Pansari Quinnipiac
Natalie Alechko Quinnipiac
Alejandra Rodriguez Quinnipiac
Marist MAAC All-Academic Team Selections
Name Year Major Hometown
Kelsey Ediger Jr. Media Studies & Production Pearland, TX
Ashton Korona Jr. Communication San Antonio, TX
Mackenzie O'Brien So. Computer Science Zionsville, PA
Sydney Rojek Jr. Psychology/Special Education Lake View, NY
Amanda Schlegel Sr. Biology Austin, TX
Melanie Snyder So. Athletic Training Mechanicsville, VA
Taylor van der Biezen So. Business Administration Ashburn, VA
Lauren Waide So. Biology Jupiter, FL
