Braun top coach, quartet named All-SUNYAC
The Fredonia women's volleyball team finished its season with a 22-10 mark and fell one match short of the SUNYAC title and an NCAA berth. Following the season, three seniors -- Courtney Poirier (West Seneca/West Seneca West), Hallie Christopher (East Amherst, N.Y./Clarence ), and Kristen Stanek (Hamburg/Orchard Park) -- were named to the All SUNYAC team, along with junior Kailey Falk (York, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy). Poirier was also named the league's Defensive Player of the Year and head coach Geoff Braun was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year.
A libero, Poirier, was named First Team and was one of three players that shared the Defensive Player of the Year Award, along with Sam Mendelsohn of Geneseo and Veronica Matedero of New Paltz.
Poirier was third in conference-only games with 149 digs in nine SUNYAC matches. She was also third in overall digs with 492, which ranks 10th on the all time Blue Devil season list. Her career 1,322 digs is sixth in Blue Devil history. This season, she also ranked third on the team with 43 service aces.
"I thought Courtney was the best libero in the SUNYAC this season," said head coach Geoff Braun "She excels in everything a libero needs to do and is a selfless teammate. She is so deserving of the Defensive Player of the Year honor."
Kailey Falk was named Second Team and put in an all-around season. Falk ranked No. 1 in SUNYAC-only contests with 25 service aces and 160 points. Her 124 kills was fourth.
In overall games, Falk was second with 65 aces, fourth with 352 kills, and fifth with 2.91 kills per set. Falk was second on the team with 333 digs and third with 54 blocks.
"Kailey improved tremendously this season and worked really hard to do so," said Braun. "She was always in the gym working extra hours. It's nice to see it pay off for her. She has a strong well-rounded skill set and contributed to our successes in many different ways."
Named to the Third Team were Christopher and Stanek.
Christopher, the team's setter, finished fourth overall in the conference with 1,044 assists. In SUNYAC-only matches, her 325 assists were third best, with her 9.85 per-set average ranking second. She added 28 service aces and 264 digs to her totals.
"Hallie worked very hard leading into her senior season," said Braun "She brings such energy and passion for the game. She did a great job running the offense this season but also improved a lot defensively."
Christopher finishes her career with 1,484 assists, which is seventh in school history.
Stanek ranked second in the conference in both overall kills (443) and in-conference kills (130). Her SUNYAC average of 3.71 kills per set was third, with her 3.66 overall ranking second.
Stanek added 150 digs and 39 blocks to her season totals.
On the team's all-time list, Stanek's 443 kills is second to only Heather Martin's 507 in 2004. Stanek finishes with 1,165 kills, sixth all time.
She also set a new team mark with 1,303 attack attempts. Her career total of 3,337 is third all time.
"Kristen was a workhorse for our offense this year and put up some impressive numbers," said Braun. "Her presence on the left side opened up the offense for the rest of our hitters."
Stanek and Christopher received the additional honor of making the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team following the Devils' second-place finish.
Braun capped his 19th year at the helm of the Blue Devils with his fourth Coach of the Year Award. His previous awards came in 2003, 2007, and 2008. He also reached the 400-win plateau and has never had a season under .500. His career mark stands at 421-239 for a .638 winning percentage.
The Blue Devils finished 22-10 this season, and in typical fashion, saved their best play for last. The team won eight straight matches before falling to Brockport in the conference finals. Fredonia was 8-1 in conference play, its only loss coming to the Golden Eagles.
