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NYU Volleyball Collects Numerous Postseason Accolades; Haley Holz Named to First Team All-America Team

NYU Volleyball Collects Numerous Postseason Accolades; Haley Holz Named to First Team All-America Team
Posted: Nov 16, 2022

From NYU Athletics

New York University's eighth-ranked and Elite Eight bound women's volleyball team garnered numerous postseason accolades from both the University Athletic Association (UAA) and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).

Three Violets received AVCA All-America recognition, as Haley Holz landed on the First Team, Lindsey Hirano on the Second Team and LEela Ankevar on the Third Team.

All three were also named to the AVCA All-Region 4 Team, along with Olivia Lewandowski and Gabriella Spaethling. Holz was recognized as the Region 4 Player of the Year while head coach Andrew Brown took home Region 4 Coach of the Year honors.

Additionally, Holz and Hirano earned First Team All-UAA accolades while Anvekar and Spaethling were named to the Second Team.

The Violets are the only UAA program remaining in the NCAA Tournament, out of five that qualified, largely thanks to Holz and her phenomenal senior season. The Illinois native leads the UAA in kills per set (3.47), points per set (4.09) and is second in service aces (55). Her 441 total kills also rank 12th in the country and first in the league, while her 519.0 total points are 10th in the nation and first in the Association.

Holz has recorded double-digit kills in all but eight matches this year, highlighted by a career-high-tying 23 at WashU on September 17. She delivered 19 kills on .395 hitting in NYU's four-set win over Williams College in the NCAA Tournament regional final this past weekend and reached 1,000 career kills earlier in the year as well.

Hirano has already cemented herself as one of the best libero's in team history, breaking the single-season program record for total digs this year with 744 thus far. Last year, as a rookie, she broke the single-season program record for digs per set with 5.05 and is on pace to set a new standard this year as well.

The California native has never had less than 10 digs in a match in her career and her 744 total digs in 2022 rank fourth in the country and lead the UAA. Her 5.81 digs per set are currently 14th in the nation and also top the Association. Hirano has posted 20-plus digs on 19 occasions this year, most notably a season-high 34 at Wesleyan University (CT) on September 24, and surpassed 1,000 career digs as a sophomore.

Anvekar has been a force at the net for NYU throughout the season, currently ranking fourth in the country and first in the UAA with 134 total blocks and third in the league with a .339 hitting percentage. Her 1.15 blocks per set are 13th in the nation and also first in the league. She's notched at least five total blocks 13 times and tied the program record for most total blocks in a single match with 13 against Johns Hopkins University on October 29. Her 10 total blocks against Emory University on October 16 are also the fourth-most in a single match in team history.

Spaethling, a senior right side, has recorded double-digit kills 12 times this season, highlighted by a season-high 20 against Brandeis University on September 17. She's tied for ninth in the UAA in total kills (275), 13th in total blocks (56) and 18th in kills per set (2.31). The California native has notched at least three total blocks in 10 matches, including each of the Violets' last five outings.

Lewandoswki emerged as an offensive threat for NYU this season, totaling 10-plus kills on 19 occasions, and ranks fifth in the UAA in both points (389.5) and kills (332). Her 2.86 kills per set are also ninth in the league and she's recorded at least 11 kills in the team's last four matches. The sophomore is also seventh in the Association in service aces (43), posting a season-high-tying four in NYU's five-set win over Salisbury University in the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals (Nov. 11).

Brown is in his fifth season at the helm of the Violets—fourth competing as the team did not see action in 2020 due to the pandemic—boasting a 106-32 overall record. He led the Violets to the UAA regular season title this year, their second straight, and won the 2021 UAA Championship tournament. This season is his squad's second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, piloting NYU to its first Elite Eight berth since 2010.