FRISCO, Texas – After the best regular season in school history, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi hauled in a record seven Southland Conference honors as announced Wednesday morning.
Kate Klepetka and Kristyn Nicholson earned the top honors at their respective positions as Klepetka was selected as the Libero of the Year and Nicholson tabbed Setter of the Year. Joining the two sophomore standouts on the All-Southland First-Team were senior Ivy Baresh and sophomore Brittany Gilpin.
Along with the four All-Southland selections and pair of specialist of the year awards, Islanders head coach Tony Graystone was named the Katrinka Jo Crawford Southland Coach of the Year.
"This is a very exciting day for Islanders volleyball," said Graystone. "I'm thrilled to see four very deserving Islanders recognized and rewarded for their outstanding seasons."
KRISTYN NICHOLSON | SETTER OF THE YEAR | FIRST TEAM ALL-SOUTHLAND
After taking home freshman of the year honors last season, Nicholson picked up A&M-Corpus Christi's first Setter of the Year award following a regular season in which the Lewisville native piled up 1,229 assists, the second-most in program history. Nicholson averaged 11.3 assists per set, placing her 39th in the country while her assists total ranks 13th in the nation.
"After becoming the first Islander to win Freshman of the Year, Kristyn is now our first Setter of the Year," said Graystone. "She's done so much in the last year to be more than a great setter, and the improvements in her defense, block and attacking show how much she's grown and put into her development. Kristyn is constantly looking for feedback and wants to be even better, and I think we're all just seeing the beginning of what's she's capable of."
KATE KLEPETKA | LIBERO OF THE YEAR | FIRST TEAM ALL-SOUTHLAND
Having picked up five of the thirteen weekly honors for defensive players, it comes as no surprise that Klepetka walks away with Libero of the Year honors. The sophomore has anchored not only the best defense in the Southland, but one of the best in the nation. Klepetka broke the school record for digs in a single season with 634 and will shatter the digs per set record as she currently ranks second in nation averaging 6.10. All the digs add up to a defense which has held opponents to a .142 hitting percentage this season, the fourth best mark in Division I.
"It's so hard for a libero to be an impact player, but's that exactly what Kate is," said Graystone. "She has this ability to read the play and be in the right spot, but also the talent to make those point saving plays that leave everyone wondering how she did it. I can't say enough about the season Kate's had and how much she's contributed to our success."
IVY BARESH | FIRST TEAM ALL-SOUTHLAND
One of the all-time greats in Islander history, Baresh will leave A&M-Corpus Christi in a category all her own as the only player to ever record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. She ranks second in school history in both categories with 1,162 kills and 1,415 digs. Baresh is fifth in the conference in kills per set and matched her career-high of 21 kills this season while also producing 12 double-double performances. The senior will also leave the Island as the career leader in service aces with 117.
"It's so good to see Ivy back on the 1st team after suffering through so many leg problems over the past 2 years," said Graystone. "She's been through so much to get back to 100% and her senior season has been nothing short of amazing. After four years with Ivy, I'm still continually impressed by plays she makes or different ways she gets our team out of trouble."
BRITTANY GILPIN | FIRST TEAM ALL-SOUTHLAND
Another member of the Islanders sensational sophomore class, Gilpin has experienced a breakout season in the middle of the front line. The sophomore has committed just 47 errors this season in 545 total attacks and is set to shatter the school's single season hitting percentage record. Gilpin is hitting .363 this season, a mark that leads the Southland Conference.
"Brittany really came into her own this season and established herself as one of the most consistent and efficient players in the Southland," said Graystone. "She's become a true point scorer and is a big reason why our offense has improved so much this year. We all knew Brittany was going to have a breakout season, and I'm very happy for her that the rest of the conference recognized how good she's been."
TONY GRAYSTONE | KATRINKA JO CRAWFORD COACH OF THE YEAR
In his seventh season at the helm of Islanders volleyball, Graystone has led the blue and green to its best season in school history with a 28-4 mark overall and a perfect 16-0 Southland season. Under his direction, the Islanders have broken 13 school records in 2015 and another eight individuals have set new school bests.
The 28 wins currently tie for the most in the country and Graystone's club ranks in the top 40 nationally in 10 statistical categories. This season, Graystone picked up his 100th win as an Islander and now owns a 122-103 mark on the Island and a 437-164 mark overall.
This week's trip to the Southland Conference Tournament will mark the fourth straight appearance for the Islanders, who were semifinalists in their previous two trips.
The quartet of first-team all-conference selections for the Islanders were the most in the Southland and are the most in program history. The combined seven awards also set a new program best for postseason honors.
The Islanders will begin their quest for a Southland Tournament Championship and automatic NCAA Tournament bid Friday morning at 11 a.m. against No. 8 seed Southeastern Louisiana.
