Landmark Volleyball Awards Announced
TOWSON, Md. – Susquehanna junior Sydney Portale earned Landmark Player of the Year honors, the second River Hawk to earn the award. Teammates Lizzie Herestofa and Rosina Esposito were named the Specialist and Rookie of the Year respectively. River Hawk head coach Kuuipo Tom was named Coach of the Year for a third time.
Portale led the conference with a .319 hitting percentage, finished second in kills (426), third in kills per set (3.46), and seventh in total blocks with 77. She helped the River Hawks to an impressive 31-6 record, which included a program first in beating Juniata in a regular season match and clinching the No. 1 seed in the Landmark Conference Volleyball Championship. Tuesday's honor marks the first time Portale has earned First Team honors.
Herestofa is the third River Hawk to earn Specialist of the Year honors, joining Sarah Paluck who won the award in 2013 and 2015. The junior ranked third in the conference with 520 kills. Tuesday's honor is the first time Herestofa has earned First Team accolades.
Esposito had a breakout season during her rookie campaign. The outside hitter led the league in kills (442), kills per set (3.68), and service aces per set (0.51). She is the second River Hawk to earn Rookie of the Year status, joining Erin Byrne (2013).
Tom earned his third Coach of the Year honors after guiding the River Hawks to a 31-6 overall record, a perfect 6-0 mark in conference play, and SU's second ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament.
Five players represented Susquehanna on the All-Landmark teams, while Juniata College also nabbed five selections. Elizabethtown College had three selections, followed by Catholic University with two and The University of Scranton with one.
The 2019 Landmark Volleyball All-Conference Teams:
| First Team |
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Second Team |
| Outside Hitter/Opposite |
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Outside Hitter/Opposite |
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| Patricia Martinez & |
Catholic |
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Jr. |
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico |
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Bryanna Miller |
Elizabethtown |
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Fr. |
Lancaster, Pa |
| Victoria Taylor & |
Juniata |
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Jr. |
Middletown, Del. |
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Elle Shatto |
Elizabethtown |
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Sr. |
Sykesville, Md. |
| Rosina Esposito |
Susquehanna |
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Fr. |
Coraopolis, PA |
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Morgan Edwards & |
Juniata |
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Sr. |
Lancaster, Pa. |
| Sydney Portale |
Susquehanna |
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Jr. |
Glen Mills, Pa. |
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Carah Vitkus |
Scranton |
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Fr. |
Mahopac, N.Y. |
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| Middle Hitter |
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Middle Hitter |
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| Dejia Danhi |
Juniata |
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Sr. |
Ashburn, Va. |
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Isabelle Cooper |
Catholic |
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Sr. |
Dunmore, Pa. |
| Emma Davis |
Juniata |
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Fr. |
East Berlin, Pa. |
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Kody Dillon |
Susquehanna |
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So. |
Bear, Del. |
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| Setter |
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Setter |
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| Moira Folan |
Juniata |
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So. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
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Lindsay Pugh |
Susquehanna |
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Sr. |
Bear, Del. |
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| Libero/Defensive Specialist |
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Libero/Defensive Specialist |
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| Lizzie Herestofa |
Susquehanna |
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Glen Mills, Pa. |
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Aiyana Tietze-Ditoro |
Elizabethtown |
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Jr. |
Seattle, Wash. |
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& 2018 First Team All-Landmark
* 2017 First Team All-Landmark
^ 2016 First Team All-Landmark