STANDISH, Maine – The 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball postseason honors have been announced and a pair of Saint Joseph's College players have been honored.

Sophomore Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) has been named as the 2016 GNAC Libero of the Year and has earned First Team All-GNAC honors for the second-consecutive season while senior Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) is listed on the Third Team for the second-straight year.

Jennelle Thompson enjoyed another fantastic season for the Monks, as the second-year standout led the conference in digs (655) and digs per set (7.04). She finished the season ranked second nationally in digs per set average and capped her sophomore campaign with 1,307 digs – the third-highest total in program history. Thompson was selected as the GNAC Libero of the Week on four occasions this fall and has earned 12 weekly honors in just two seasons as a collegiate player.

Victoria Huntley, an outside hitter, collects All-Conference accolades for the second-consecutive season after leading the Monks in kills (253) and attacks (954) while ranking second on the squad in hitting percentage (.123) and service aces (40) and third in digs (296). The four-year starter completed her NCAA career with 798 kills, 124 aces, 1,015 digs, and 49 total blocks in 105 matches (362 sets).

Under the watch of first-year Head Coach Alexis Michal, the Monks posted a 12-13 record with a 6-5 record in GNAC play this fall. Saint Joseph's posted a solid 9-4 record during the month of October with important five-set victories over GNAC foes University of Saint Joseph, Mount Ida College, and Emmanuel College en route to earning the #6 seed in the GNAC Tournament. With the sixth seed, the Monks traveled to Anna Maria College to face the #3 AMCATS and nearly pulled off an upset. Down 0-2, St. Joe's rallied back to force a fifth set but ultimately fell short with a 15-9 deciding set loss.

WINTHROP, Mass. – Anna Maria College sophomore outside hitter Amari King has been selected as the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year, as voted upon by the league's 12 head coaches. The league office handed down the announcement on Tuesday along with its three All-Conference Teams and other major award winners.

For the complete list of All-Conference selections, please see below.

King led all GNAC student-athletes with 4.80 kills per set, including 5.32 kills per set in league play. She was also sixth in hitting percentage (.265) and 13th in digs per set (3.05) for the AMCATS, who finished third in the regular-season standings and earned a spot in the conference semifinals.

Saint Joseph's College of Maine sophomore Jenelle Thompson was voted the GNAC Libero of the Year after averaging 7.04 digs per set for the Monks.

From NCAA Tournament-bound Johnson & Wales University, freshman setter Brylee Frank was named the 2016 GNAC Rookie of the Year and head coach Nancy Somera was voted the GNAC Coach of the Year. Frank has directed a dominant JWU offensive attack, averaging 10.49 assists per set for the 33-0 Wildcats, while Somera guided the program to its second GNAC crown in as many years and an unblemished record.

Joining Frank on the All-GNAC First Team from JWU were fellow freshman Maria Coniglio and sophomore Emily Kalmink. Coniglio has hit .298 while averaging 3.48 kills and 2.82 digs per set. Kalmink, last year's GNAC Rookie of the Year, is averaging 2.99 kills and 1.31 blocks per set to go with a stellar .413 hitting percentage.

Rounding out the First Team choices were Rivier University senior Lauren Silverman and Simmons College freshman Morgan Weeg. Silverman posted per-set numbers of 3.55 kills and 1.18 blocks, while Weeg averaged 4.00 kills and 3.31 digs as a rookie for the Sharks.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

First Team

Amari King, Anna Maria (So., OH, Lawrence, Mass.)

Maria Coniglio, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., OH, Old Bethpage, N.Y.)

Brylee Frank, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., S, Palm City, Fla.)

Emily Kalmink, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., MB, Byron Center, Mich.)

Lauren Silverman, Rivier (Sr., MH, Chelmsford, Mass.)

Jennelle Thompson, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., L, Farmington, N.H.)

Morgan Weeg, Simmons (Fr., OH, Goodyear, Ariz.)

Second Team

Tierney Clancy, Anna Maria (Fr., S, Meriden, Conn.)

Rebecca Foti, Anna Maria (Jr., OH, Bedford, N.H.)

Kate Walker, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., MB, Oakland, Calif.)

Olivia Addington, Lasell (So., OH, Orange, Calif.)

Molly McCormack, Rivier (Sr., OH, Ballston Lake, N.Y.)

Dana Mott, Rivier (Sr., MH, Medway, Mass.)

Bethany Trevino, Rivier (Jr, L, Westminster, Colo.)

Third Team

Cassie Chruscielski, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Sr., OH, Duluth, Minn.)

Mary Shelow, Emmanuel (Mass.) (So., OH, Miami, Fla.)

Elizabeth Hamilton, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., OH, Canton, Mass.)

Hayley Macken, Rivier (So., S, Clifton Park, N.Y.)

Victoria Huntley, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sr., OH, Ellsworth, Maine)

Abby Hart, Simmons (Sr., MB, Westfield, Mass.)

Alex Itasaka, Simmons (Sr., L, Bradford, Mass.)

Player of the Year – Amari King, Anna Maria Libero of the Year – Jennelle Thompson, Saint Joseph's (Me.) Rookie of the Year – Brylee Frank, Johnson & Wales (RI)

Coach of the Year – Nancy Somera, Johnson & Wales (RI)

Institutional Sportsmanship Award – University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)

#GOMONKS

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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.