From Carnegie Mellon University Athletics
Senior middle blocker Eliza Donohue (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield), junior outside hitter Lauren Mueller (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown STEM Academy), junior opposite Sarah Jurgens (Eagan, Minn.) and sophomore libero Kayla Yew (San Francisco, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral) of the 10th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University volleyball team were selected to the All-North Region team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Thursday, November 9. Senior outside hitter Heather Holton (Haslett, Mich.) joins her teammates on the squad as an honorable mention honoree. Head Coach Kim Kelly was also honored, as she was named Region Coach of the Year.
It marks the second straight season that Mueller was honored by the AVCA. Last season, the junior received honorable mention recognition.
Donohue, an honorable mention honoree her freshman campaign, leads the team with a .314 hitting percentage and ranks third in the UAA. The senior has recorded 280 kills, ranking third on the Tartans while finishing second on the team and third in the UAA with 98 total blocks. Donohue currently ranks third on the school's all-time block list with 425 for her career.
Mueller, a second team selection a year ago, leads the UAA with 425 kills and 3.60 kills per game. She has recorded 55 total blocks this season, ranking fourth on the team. Earlier this season, the junior recorded her 1,000th career kill and has recorded a career-best 20 kills in three matches this year, all coming in UAA play. Mueller also has recorded double-digit kills in 24 of her 33 matches played this season.
Yew leads the UAA with 710 digs and 5.92 digs per game. Her 710 digs rank second on the school's single-season chart with 28 more needed to own the top spot. Her 40 service aces rank second on the team and seventh in the UAA. She currently ranks 11th on the school's all-time digs list with 1,009. Yew recorded a career-best 41 digs in the Tartans' UAA quarterfinal win against Brandeis. The sophomore has recorded double-digit digs in 39 straight matches dating back to last season.
Jurgens ranks second on the team with 327 kills and with 2.77 kills per game, both ranking in the top 10 of the UAA. Her .276 hitting percentage ranks third on the team along with her 57 total blocks this season. The junior has recorded 13 double-digit kill matches with seven coming in UAA play.
Holton, a past UAA Rookie of the Year and second team honoree that same season, is fourth on the team with 253 kills and with 2.24 kills per set. She has recorded 51 total blocks, which ranks fifth on the Tartans.
Kelly, in her 13th-year as head coach for the Tartans, recorded her 500th career win early this season and 250th at Carnegie Mellon. Kelly led the Tartans to the highest AVCA national ranking in program history, when they held the sixth spot for two weeks. She has guided the team back to the NCAA tournament for the second straight season and fourth time in her tenure. The team will enter the tournament with a 29-4 record, tying a season-high in wins under Kelly.