LEXINGTON, KY --- The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has released their slate of All-Region teams for NAIA women's volleyball, as chosen by the NAIA Selection Committee. Each of the ten regions selected 14 student-athletes to the All-Region team, while eight players were chosen for honorable mention and seven players were chosen as "of the year" award winners. Among the honorees, senior Jaylyn Freeman was named Mideast All-Region alongside Brianna Torres. Adding to her already lengthy resume, Torres was additionally chosen as Mideast Attacker of the Year and Mideast Player of the Year. Assistant Coach Kennedy Mang was also named Mideast Assistant Coach of the Year, shortly thereafter being given the honor from the CCAC this season as well.

Freeman, a senior from Athens, Alabama, earns her first AVCA all-region selection after a spectacular season where she notched a team-high 665 digs. Averaging 4.96 digs per set, Freeman posted a regular season-high of 31 digs against Cumberland University in mid-October and a career high 34 digs in the NCCAA National Tournament currently being played. Following the completion of the regular season, Freeman was voted first team all-region in the NCCAA as well as first team all-conference and CCAC Libero of the Year. Nearing 3,000 career digs and topping 165 service aces, Freeman wrote herself into the TIU records books in multiple categories.

Torres, a graduate student from Chula Vista, California, earns her third AVCA All-Region selection on the heels of a record breaking season, and her first designations as Mideast Attacker and Mideast Player of the Year. Leading the Trojan attack with 567 kills, Torres averaged 4.11 per set while also aiding the defensive side with 2.99 digs per set, a total of 413 this season. Throughout her career, Torres has detonated 2,177 kills and grabbed 1,985 digs and as a result holds a plethora of TIU records in the single season and career statistics categories. At the conclusion of the regular season, Torres was named first team all-conference and CCAC Player of the Year, the first women's volleyball player to earn the title in TIU history.

Alongside the player awards, assistant coach Kennedy Mang was named Mideast Assistant of the Year as voted by her peers. Mang joined the Trojan staff in fall of 2021 after completing her masters degree in recreation and sports from Western Kentucky University with certification in intercollegiate athletic administration. She's taken the lead on focusing on setting and the Trojans' offensive system and is more often found in the gym holding one-on-one sessions with her players than in her office. Mang handles much of the team's administrative tasks, including coordinating transportation and meals, ordering apparel, recruiting, and managing the team's social media pages.

The Trojans (29-9) continue their jaw-dropping season tomorrow afternoon in the NCCAA National Championship where they'll face the reigning champions, the Rams of Columbia International University.
 
To read the full release and list of awards from the AVCA, click here.

TIU Trojans
TIU Women's Volleyball