Lord Named Co-Player Of The Year, Kuhel Rookie Of The Year As Volleyball All-NESCAC Announced

Kuhel

Lord

MEDFORD - Four members of the Tufts volleyball team, including Co-Player of the Year Kendall Lord (LaJolla, CA) and Rookie of the Year Isabel Kuhel (Brisbane, CA), received New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) recognition when the All-Conference Teams were announced today.

Lord, a junior setter who leads the league with 10.61 assists per set, shares the Player of the Year honor with Bowdoin's Kristin Hanczor. The honor marks the second time in the last three years that Tufts' setter earned the honor. Dena Feiger was selected outright in 2009. Kuhel, whose 1.20 blocks per set lead the league, is the Jumbos' first Rookie of the Year since 2004 when Kate Lutostanski was named.

Jumbo senior tri-captains Audrey Kuan (Los Altos, CA) and Cara Spieler (Santa Barbara, CA) were also honored with their selections to the All-NESCAC Second Team.

Spieler

Kuan

Perhaps the most versatile player in the league, the 5'10" Lord also averages 0.44 service aces per set (10th in NESCAC), 3.05 digs per set and 0.54 blocks per set (second on the team). She's also an All-NESCAC First Team pick this fall after making the Second Team last season. She was the NESCAC Player of the Week on October 17.

Kuhel was part of an outstanding group of first-year players who gave Tufts a boost this season. In addition to her league-high 124 total blocks, she is fifth overall and first among rookies in NESCAC with a .293 hitting percentage. An All-NESCAC Second Team pick for 2011, she was the conference's Co-Player of the Week on October 31.

Kuan received her second straight All-NESCAC Second Team honor. The tri-captain and libero for the Jumbos is fifth in the league with 4.58 digs per set and is one of the best service receivers in the league. Her 41 aces are second on the team behind Lord.

Spieler is one of NESCAC's best two-way players. Her 2.76 kills per set are 11th in the conference, while she's also averaging 3.12 digs per set. Spieler's 44 total blocks are third on the team, as are the 32 aces that she's served.

Tufts finished 9-1 in NESCAC to earn the #2 seed in the conference championship. After defeating Williams in five sets during the quarterfinals, they were eliminated by Middlebury in the semis. Coach Cora Thompson's team is 25-5 and earned its sixth NCAA Tournament bid earlier this week. They play Roger Williams in the first round at Springfield College on Friday at 5:30 pm.

2011 NESCAC Volleyball All-Conference Teams

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