FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2013
Adelphi's DeStefano also earns AVCA All-America honor
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. - University of New Haven senior Amber Cannady has been named Daktronics Volleyball First Team All-America, becoming the Chargers' first Daktronics First Team All-America honoree since Rhe-Ann Niles in 2008.
Cannady has also been named Honorable Mention All-America by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for the second consecutive season after helping lead the Chargers to a 28-5 final record and an appearance in the NCAA Div. II East Region Championship match.
Cannady, who received the most votes at middle hitter, adds First Team All-America laurels to a 2013 résumé of that includes AVCA Honorable Mention All-America recognition, and both Daktronics East Region and Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year nods.
She was also an AVCA and Daktronics First Team All-Region honoree, First Team All-NE-10 selection and East Region All-Championship Team member. Cannady led New Haven and ranked second in the Northeast-10 with 3.40 kills and a .361 hitting percentage during her final campaign with the Blue and Gold. She also led the NE-10 and currently ranks second nationally with 1.52 blocks per set.
For her career, Cannady was named AVCA Honorable Mention All-America last fall in addition to AVCA and Daktronics All-Region and First Team All-Northeast-10 honors. She finished her four years at New Haven with 993 kills and ranks sixth all-time with 471 career blocks.
Adelphi University junior middle blocker Kaitlyn DeStefano was also honored by Daktronics with an honorable mention All-America selection.
The 6-2 middle blocker adds a second Daktronics All-America nod to a list of impressive career accolades that include AVCA All-American, Daktronics-All Region and two, first-team All-Conference honors. On the attacking end this season, DeStefano accounted for 372 kills and hit .353, which is an Adelphi single season record for attack percentage. She can be found in the top five for four different statistics in the Northeast-10 including hitting percentage (.353), kills (372), kills per set (3.05) and blocks per set (1.08). DeStefano also led the team and conference with solo blocks at 23.
The Farmingdale native helped lead the Panthers to an undefeated record at home, a 19-13 overall record and a 10-4 mark in regular-season NE-10 play. The Panthers earned their seventh consecutive appearance in the NCAA East Regional, where they fell to rival New Haven in a 3-2 thriller.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
