Women's Volleyball | 11/9/2017 11:09:00 AM

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Record-setting freshman Monica Lopez (Caguas, Puerto Rico/Notre Dame) of the Manhattanville College women's volleyball team added another program first to her resume this season, as she was named the first AVCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region selection in school history, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced on Thursday.
 
Lopez was one of six players to earn All-Region honorable mention, making her one of only 20 players and one of only three liberos in the entire Mid-Atlantic Region to receive recognition. Lopez's honor marks the first time in program history that a Valiant volleyball player has earned All-Region honors and makes her the first MAC Freedom player not from Eastern University or DeSales University to earn a year-end honor from the AVCA since 2003.
 
Lopez made an immediate and definitive impact on the court for Manhattanville in her freshman season, earning All-MAC Freedom first-team honors after recording 581 digs to surpass the school single-season record set in 1996. The libero still ranks third in Division III with a school-record 6.60 digs per set after recording at least 14 digs in every match this season, including 13 matches of 20 or more digs and eight matches with at least 31 digs. She also added 68 assists and a team-leading 35 service aces on the season.
 
With Lopez leading the way, the Valiants currently rank seventh in Division III by averaging 19.81 digs per set. Manhattanville recorded a 13-10 record during the 2017 campaign against a schedule that featured six AVCA regionally ranked teams and three teams that made the 2017 NCAA Tournament.