W&L’s Boles and Snyder, LC’s Payne, R-MC’s Sears Honored

FOREST, Va. --- Washington and Lee University earned a pair of major honors as part of the 2011 All-ODAC Volleyball Teams.  Outside hitter M.A. Boles was tabbed the ODAC Player of the Year, while head coach Bryan Snyder was chosen as the ODAC Coach of the Year.  Lynchburg College outside hitter Aricquel Payne was named the ODAC Rookie of the Year, and Randolph-Macon College outside hitter Jessica Sears was selected as the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete.

Boles, a sophomore from Houston, Texas, adds this honor to an All-ODAC First Team the past two seasons as well as the league’s top rookie award last year.  Boles earned three ODAC Player of the Week awards on her way to leading the ODAC with 415 kills following the Generals’ appearance in the conference championship match.  She recorded double-digit winners in 22-of-33 matches played and collected 20 or more kills on three occasions.  Her high mark for the season came in a five-set win over Virginia Wesleyan College in the ODAC semifinals when she put down 25 kills to twice lead the Generals back from one-game deficits.  Boles finished the season with a .232 hitting percentage in a league-high 1,156 attacks, and registered 351 digs at 3.13 per game.

Snyder, in his 12^th season guiding the Generals, enjoys his eighth overall and second straight ODAC top coaching honor after leading Washington and Lee to a 10-0 league record and the program’s 16^th appearance in the conference championship match.  After posting a 27-8 overall record, Snyder now boasts a 340-90 (.791) overall mark and a 116-6 (.951) standard in league play.  During his tenure, Snyder has led Washington and Lee to eight conference titles and nine appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Payne, a freshman from Woodbridge, Va., also earned a spot on the All-ODAC First Team in addition to her top rookie award.  Payne helped lead the Hornets to within a game of their first ODAC title match appearance since 2008 before falling to Washington and Lee in the semifinals.  She finished her first year in Lynchburg with a team-best 267 kills to go with 217 digs and 49 total blocks.  She recorded 10 or more kills in 10 matches, including a career-best 21 winners against non-conference University of Mary Washington earlier this season.

Sears, a junior from Newport News, Va., is standout on and off the court for Randolph-Macon.  In the classroom, she boasts a 3.87 grade-point-average as a Mathematics and Physics major.  She is a two-time member of the ODAC All-Academic Team, as well as a member of R-MC’s Math Club and a founding member of the R-MC Physics Club.  On the court, Sears helped lead the Yellow Jackets to their third straight conference tournament title and subsequent appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.  She adds an All-ODAC Second Team honor to a first team selection in 2010.  This season, she racked up 232 kills and 298 digs.  Sears recorded 10 or more kills on eight different occasions, and collected a season-best 20 in a five-set win over Mary Washington.

Listed below are the 2011 All-ODAC Volleyball Teams.  For more information, visit any of the participating schools’ websites, or go to the ODAC’s home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.

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2011 ALL-ODAC VOLLEYBALL TEAMS
Player of the Year: M.A. Boles, So., OH, Washington and Lee
Coach of the Year: Bryan Snyder, Washington and Lee
Rookie of the Year: Aricquel Payne, Fr., OH, Lynchburg
ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Jessica Sears, Jr., OH, Randolph-Macon