WORCESTER, Mass. – Amari King (Lawrence, Mass.) has been named the 2017 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Volleyball Player of the Year and headlines to the All-Conference team, which is voted on by the eight coaches from around the conference.
King, a junior outside hitter, led the Lancers to a perfect 7-0 mark during conference play and the top seed in the MASCAC Tournament. She closed out the regular season leading the conference in several statistical categories, including total kills (394), kills per set (3.58), total points (458) and points per set (4.2). She also had the second-best hitting percentage (.257) and fourth-most service aces (52) in the league. Her best game of the season came against Eastern Nazarene where she tallied 23 kills and 18 digs in the win. She has earned MASCAC Volleyball Player of the Week honors five times this season, including four straight weeks from October 2-23. She registered 17 double-doubles during the regular season (including a 6-game streak), and recorded double-doubles in both of the playoff games last week to total 19 thus far.
Joining King on the first team All-Conference are juniors outside hitter Emily Carens (Northborough, Mass,), libero Megan Leavens (Storrs, Conn.), and setter Allie Nolan (Melrose, Mass.).
The duo of King and Carens on the attack helped the Lancers earn the top spot in the MASCAC in kills and kills per set. Carens currently averages 2.98 kills per set and 1.53 digs per set. She currently is second on the team in kills (340), and points (360).
Worcester State's MASCAC Tournament MVP, Nolan, assisted Worcester State's attack, totaling record-high 1,077 assists so far this season. Nolan reached 1,000 season assists during the Lancers' semifinal game against Bridgewater State this past weekend and leads the conference with a 9.45 assist per set average.
The Lancers' defense has been led by Leavens this season, who currently holds a single season record-high 556 digs, averaging 5.15 per set. Leavens broke the Worcester State school record for number of digs in a single season on Saturday (Oct. 21) at the Hall of Fame Invitational.
The Lancers' 13th year head coach, Bernie Chase, was picked the Champion's Choice Coach of the Year for leading his team to the MASCAC Regular season title and leading the team to its first-ever MASCAC tournament championship.
The other major award winner for the MASCAC is Kelly Brinkman (Gardiner, N.Y.) of Framingham State who was named the MASCAC Rookie of the Year.