Daemen head coach Stephanie Albano, the AVCA East Region Coach of the Year, talks with freshman Cristina Apostol during a recent match

Women's Volleyball 11/30/2016 1:42:00 PM Mike Miranto, Associate A.D. For Communications

Regional Accolades Keep Rolling In For Women's Volleyball

AVCA Names Drzymala Sisters, Dolegowski To All-Region Squad; Albano Picks Up Region Coach of the Year Honors

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College volleyball players Ashley Drzymala (West Seneca, N.Y./ St. Mary's of Lancaster) and Amber Drzymala (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) have been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-East Region Team which was released today on avca.org. In addition, Bailey Dolegowski (Marilla, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) was named AVCA East Region Freshman of the Year, as well as to the Honorable Mention All-East Region Team, and head coach Stephanie Albano was named the AVCA East Region Coach of the Year. The AVCA regional awards are voted on by member coaches from their respective region; the East Region of NCAA Division II is comprised of teams affiliated with the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 Conference and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.

The Drzymala sisters and Dolegowski have been the catalysts for a successful 2016 season, all while Albano has steered the ship in her first season as a collegiate head coach. Daemen is 23-7 thus far, including a 13-1 mark in the East Coast Conference which was good for the regular season league title.

Ashley Drzymala, who was previously named the ECC Player of the Year and to the All-ECC First Team, leads the Wildcat offense with 399 kills and 48 service aces this season. The 5-foot-10 sophomore outside hitter has also contributed defensively as she's produced career-highs of 302 digs and 34 blocks. Today's announcement marked her second regional honor in as many days. Just yesterday she was named to the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association All-East Region First Team.

Her sister, 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter Amber Drzymala adds another accolade to the growing list of accomplishments in her Daemen career. Also a first-team All-ECC selection, Amber has posted a career-best 348 kills this season, while also leading the team in digs with 336. Earlier this season, she reached 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs for her career, becoming just the third player in team history to do so in both categories.

Dolegowski, a 5-foot-8 setter, has been the Wildcats' top distributor all season long. Her 1,067 assists lead all ECC players, as she already ranks fifth all-time for assists in a single season in team history. Defensively, Dolegowski has contributed 272 digs while racking up 15 double-doubles this season.

The three Daemen award recipients have flourished under the watch of Albano. She has guided a Wildcat team that ranks first in the ECC in kills per set (13.13), assists per set (12.35), total service aces (220), and points per set (16.3). Today's announcement marks the second honor for her this season as she was previously named the ECC Coach of the Year as well.

The Wildcats continue their season this week with the East Regional portion of the 2016 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship. Daemen has drawn the No. 2 seed in the region, and will face seventh-seeded Post University at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 1. The match takes place at Lumsden Gymnasium as Daemen was awarded the host bid for the East Regional with seven matches over three days taking place here to determine the East Regional champion which will advance to the Elite 8. Get a complete tournament preview by clicking here.

For breaking news and continuing coverage of the Daemen women's volleyball team, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenVB on Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Amber Drzymala: OH; 5' 9"; Senior

#10 Ashley Drzymala: OH; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#14 Bailey Dolegowski: S; 5' 8"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#13 Amber Drzymala
: 5' 9"; Senior
: OH

#10 Ashley Drzymala
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: OH

#14 Bailey Dolegowski
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: S

Players Mentioned

#13 Amber Drzymala

#10 Ashley Drzymala

#14 Bailey Dolegowski

Players Mentioned

#13 Amber Drzymala

#10 Ashley Drzymala

#14 Bailey Dolegowski