Women's Volleyball | 11/14/2014 2:06:00 PM

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ROCHESTER, NY - Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein) of the RIT volleyball team was named a 2014 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Third Team All-American, announced on Wednesday, Nov. 19. She is the first RIT student-athlete since Ushi Patel in 1999 to earn AVCA first, second, or third team accolades. Szybist is also the ninth different Tiger to garner All-American honors.

Earlier in the month, Szybist earned CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-Region honors, All-AVCA New York Region, and All-Liberty League first team accolades in addition to Liberty League All-Academic Team plaudits. Szybist was MVP of the RIT Invitational, was a Liberty League Championship All-Tournament Team pick, and garnered All-Tournament Team honors at the Nazareth Golden Flyer Invitational, Canton Classic, and Fredonia Blue Invitational this season. She was also a four-time Liberty League Player of the Week and three-time ECAC Upstate Player of the Week this season.

"I'm extremely proud of Sarah being named an All-American," said RIT head coach Jim Lodes. "During the off-season and this preseason, we set goals for her and how she would impact our program. The commitment Sarah has shown at improving as an all-around volleyball player, remaining a great teammate, and developing as a leader has been rewarded with this great honor. Knowing Sarah, I'm sure this is just the first step towards achieving her ultimate goals. I'm honored to work with her."

Szybist, a 2013 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, enjoyed another tremendous season for the Tigers, leading all of Division III with 709 kills. Her 709 kills are second most in one season all-time at RIT, and she is second nationally with 5.76 points per set and third with 5.10 kills per set.  Szybist is second on the team with 292 digs, 65 blocks, and 52 service aces. She was also the 2013 AVCA New York Region, Liberty League, and ECAC Rookie of the Year.
 
On Oct. 17, Szybist became the 14th player in program history to surpass 1,000 kills in a win over Vassar. She currently has 1,299 for her career, eighth most in program history. She recorded at least 10 kills in a match 37 times and slammed 20 kills 16 times, both of which are RIT single-season records. Szybist also tallied 10 double-doubles during the season.

RIT finished 22-17 and advanced to the Liberty League Championship match in 2014.

Previous AVCA All-Americans

Year        Player                    Team
1990        Jennifer Polo         1st Team
                Kris Gray               2nd Team
1991        Jennifer Polo         2nd Team
                Kris Gray               2nd Team
                Liang Gaik Khaw   2nd Team
1992        Kris Gray               1st Team
                Liang Gaik Khaw   1st Team
1993        Liang Gaik Khaw   1st Team
1997        Tracy Wilt              2nd Team
1998        Tracy Wilt              2nd Team
1999        Ushi Patel             2nd Team
2005        Katie Werner        honorable mention
2007        Jessica Schaffer   honorable mention
2010        Jessica Schaffer   honorable mention
2012        Cat Sullivan          honorable mention
2013        S. Szybist             honorable mention
2014        S. Szybist            3rd Team