Holmes, McGovern Earn First-Team All-America Honors, Sawyer on Third Team

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Jenna Holmes and Georgia McGovern earned first-team All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association, while Audrey Sawyer captured a spot on the third team and Dede Carranza earned honorable mention distinction, the organization announced today at its awards banquet on the eve of the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championships at Roberts Pavilion.

Holmes earned a spot on the first team for the second year in a row, after being named the National Player of the Year last fall. McGovern moved up to the first team after earning second-team All-America honors last year, while Sawyer made the third team after being an honorable mention selection in 2022. 

Holmes became the sixth Athena to reach 1000 career kills this fall, and now stands at 1111, good for fourth in CMS history in only three seasons. She also now has 392 this season, eight away from becoming the sixth Athena to record 400 in a season, and only 18 away from tying for second place (the record of 482 set by Nicole Kerkhof in 2013 would require 30 kills in three straight matches). She had a huge weekend at MIT at regionals, hitting .478 (39-6-69), including .520 in the regional finals (14-1-25).

McGovern went from a three-rotation setter last year, splitting time with graduated senior Spencer Hagenbuch, into a six-rotation setter this fall. With the added time on the floor, McGovern crossed 1000 assists (1008) in the SCIAC Championship match, a milestone which no CMS setter has reached since Natalya Preiser did it three straight seasons from 1992-94. McGovern now has the second-highest single season total in CMS history with 1105, and leads the nation in assists per set (11.16, in a virtual tie with Hannah Joseph of Aurora). McGovern needs 152 to tie CMS record of 1257, set by Preiser in 1992.

With one season to go, Sawyer is well on her way to shattering the CMS record for hitting percentage. Sawyer is hitting .379 this season, after hitting .397 last year and .381 as a first-year in 2011, which rank second and fourth on the CMS single-season list (Brenna Bell hit .404 last year to rank first). Sawyer's current career percentage of .384 is on pace to break the Athena record of .323, held by Melanie Moore (2017-19), by over 60 points.

Carranza already ranks fourth on the CMS all-time digs list as a junior with 1505 heading into the NCAA Tournament, after earning All-Tournament honors at both the SCIAC Championship and the NCAA Regionals. She was also the 2022 SCIAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and is a two-time SCIAC Defensive Player of the Year. Her 547 digs last year ranks No. 7 on the CMS single-season list, and she will likely move into the top 10 this year as well with 497 heading into nationals (tenth place is 505). 

CMS enters the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals with a 25-5 overall record, and will take on top-seeded Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening at Roberts Pavilion. The winner will move on to the semifinals on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against either Hope or Johns Hopkins, with the national championship match taking place on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Tickets for the NCAA Division III Championships can be purchased through Ticketleap at the following link: NCAA Tickets