Brianna Brink Named AVCA First Team All-Region

AVCA DIVISION I REGIONAL AWARDS

CORPUS CHRISTI – Senior Brianna Brink continues to leave her mark at the Island University, as she is the first Islander to be named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I Southwest Region First Team. The right side hitter earned the honors after putting together a record-breaking year.

She joins Logen Bourque as the second player in Islanders' history to be recognized by the AVCA. Last season, Bourque earned honorable mention honors in the Southwest Region.    

"This is a great day for Brianna and Islanders volleyball, and I'm incredibly proud to call Bri our program's first all-region first team player," head coach Tony Graystone said. "After seeing Logen Bourque make the honorable mention list last season, we knew we were getting close to having one of our players make the all-region team. 

"Bri had a monster senior year and left no doubt that she was an all-region player. I really appreciate the votes and support Bri got from the coaches in our region and am happy they recognized the season she had."

The senior registered an Islanders' career mark of 1,392 kills in her four years and shattered the record for most attacks with 3,812. She also earned First Team All-Southland honors for the first time in her career and earned a spot on the Southland All-Tournament team. 

She had a remarkable season, leading the Islanders to a third-place finish in the conference. She put down a team-high 471 kills, which ranks first in the Islanders' record books for a single season. The Corona, Calif. native also tallied 3.65 kills per set to lead the Islanders' offense (6th SLC). Brink also racked up 13 double-digit dig matches to help her record 12 double-doubles on the season. Her 129 sets played ties Bourque's and Micah Nolan's single-season record, set in 2011.

Brink also put together solid numbers against regional ranked teams as she posted 3.64 kills per set and 51 kills in 14 sets. She was even more impressive against ranked teams as she collected 4.00 kills per set and 48 kills in 12 sets.

Arguably her best all-around match of the season came against Houston Baptist when she notched 20 kills and 20 digs to propel the Islanders to a 3-1 win. She also had an exceptional match in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament as she matched a career-high 24 kills while notching 17 digs to lead the Islanders to a thrilling 3-2 victory.  

Brink along with fellow senior Ashley Phelps will leave with a program-best 73 wins in their four years. Brink has played in 129 career matches and 452 career sets, which both rank second all-time in Islanders' history.

"This is a great ending to Brianna's career," Graystone said. "She's worked so hard to become our go-to player that we could always count on. She's added to her game every year and after switching positions early during her junior season, everything fell into place and she really took off. Bri was a special player for us this season and is leaving a huge hole to fill."

Brink is joined by fellow Southland players Jill Ivy of Stephen F. Austin, who was named honorable mention in the Southwest Region, and Central Arkansas' Heather Schnars, who was named First Team in the South Region.   

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Southwest Region

Honorable Mention

Freshman of the Year: Marion Hazelwood, Oklahoma, MB

Coach of the Year: Van Compton, UALR