BETHLEHEM, Pa — The Colgate Raiders, the top seed of the 2020-21 Patriot League Spring Volleyball Championship, earned two of the five major awards when the League office announced its postseason honors Wednesday afternoon. Holy Cross, Loyola Maryland and Navy all recorded one major award nod.
Colgate senior outside hitter Alli Lowe was named the Patriot League Player of the Year for the second time, while teammate junior setter Julia Kurowski earned setter of the year.
Loyola Maryland junior libero Katie Forsythe collected libero of the year laurels for the third time while Navy freshman middle blocker Maggie Bodman was named rookie of the year.
Holy Cross head coach Kathleen Colpoys rounded out the major-award winners as she garnered Patriot League Coach of the Year honors.
Fourteen student-athletes were named to the 2020-21 Spring Patriot League first and second teams, including eight seniors, three juniors and three freshmen. Army West Point led the way with four All-League selections, followed by Colgate with three and Navy with two. American, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, and Loyola Maryland had one honoree on the teams.
The first-team is highlighted by Lowe, Kurowski and Forsythe – three of the postseason major award winners. Joining them are American senior outside hitter Helena Elbaek, Army West Point senior setter Hannah Presley, Holy Cross senior middle blocker Clare Honan, and Lafayette junior outside hitter Leanna Deegan.
On the second team, Bodman, the rookie of the year, is joined by Army West Point senior middle blocker Monica Eckford, freshman middle blocker Paige Fixemer and senior libero Ana Oglivie. Colgate freshman middle blocker Harper Snyder, Lehigh senior outside hitter Sabrina Lancaster, and Navy senior outside hitter Maddi Sgattoni also earned a spot on the second team.
The major awards and All-Patriot League teams were voted on by the nine Patriot League volleyball head coaches, who could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
2020-21 Spring Patriot League Player of the Year
Alli Lowe, Colgate, Sr., OH, Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville
* Lowe, the preseason player of the year, finished the regular season averaging 4.41 kills and 2.31 digs per set in 29 sets played. She also had a .311 hitting percentage, 11 service aces and 11 total blocks (three solo/eight assists).
* Lowe ranks third in the Patriot League in kills and service aces per set (0.38).
* The senior was named player of the week (March 1) after tallying 27 kills, 16 digs and a .357 hitting percentage in the 2-0 weekend against Lehigh in late February.
* Lowe was the League's 2019 player of the year and 2017 rookie of the year. She was a first-team selection in '19 and '17, and a second-team All-Patriot League honoree in 2018.
2020-21 Spring Patriot League Setter of the Year
Julia Kurowski, Colgate, Jr., S, Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster Central
* The junior paced the team with 287 assists to go with 74 digs and 13 block assists in 29 sets played during regular season.
* Kurowki's 9.90 assists per game leads the Patriot League this season.
* Kurowski was named a First-Team All-Patriot League honoree in 2019.
* The junior is the first Patriot League Volleyball Setter of the Year in Colgate program history.
2020-21 Spring Patriot League Libero of the Year
Katie Forsythe, Loyola Maryland, Jr., L, Perry Ohio/Gilmour Academy
* The three-time libero of the year ended her junior year with 169 digs in the regular season.
* Forsythe is the NCAA's active career leader in digs per set at 6.02, while ranking third in NCAA Division I history in digs per set.
* In 2019, she became the fastest Patriot League player to 1,000 career digs, as she currently ranks third in Loyola Maryland's record books and seventh all-time in the Patriot League with 1,619 digs.
2020-21 Spring Patriot League Rookie of the Year
Maggie Bodman, Navy, Fr., MB, Northbrook, Ill./New Trier
* Bodman recorded 22 block assists and two solo blocks as the team went 4-1 in the regular-season.
* The freshman averaged 2.14 kills and 1.09 blocks per set with a .361 hitting percentage in 22 sets played this season.
* Bodman's blocks per set tally is good for first while her hitting percentage is third in the League this season.
* Bodman was named Patriot League Volleyball Rookie of the Week (March 1) after leading the Mids with a .439 hitting percentage in the team's 2-0 weekend against Loyola Maryland.
2020-21 Spring Patriot League Coach of the Year
Kathleen Colpoys, Holy Cross
* Colpoys led the Crusaders to a 5-5 Patriot League record and the No. 2 seed in the 2020-21 Patriot League Spring Volleyball Championship.
* The tournament berth marks the first time they have advanced to the postseason since 1995.
* The Crusaders' .500 record in Patriot League play marks the team's best winning percentage since 2000.
* Under Colpoys, Holy Cross recorded the two-game series sweep over Lehigh (3-0, 3-1) for the first time since 2006.
2020-21 Spring Patriot League Volleyball Major Award Winners
Player of the Year: Alli Lowe, Colgate, Jr., OH
Setter of the Year: Julia Kurowski, Colgate, Jr., S
Libero of the Year: Katie Forsythe, Loyola Maryland, Jr., L
Rookie of the Year: Maggie Bodman, Navy, Fr., MH
Coach of the Year: Kathleen Colpoys, Holy Cross
All-Patriot League First Team
Helena Elbaek, American, Sr., OH
Hannah Presley, Army West Point, Sr., S
Julia Kurowski, Colgate, Jr., S
Alli Lowe, Colgate, Sr., OH
Clare Honan, Holy Cross, Sr., MB
Leanna Deegan, Lafayette, Jr., OH
Katie Forsythe, Loyola Maryland, Jr., L
All-Patriot League Second Team
Monica Eckford, Army West Point, Sr., MB
Paige Fixemer, Army West Point, Fr., MB
Ana Oglivie, Army West Point, Sr., L
Harper Snyder, Colgate, Fr., MB
Sabrina Lancaster, Lehigh, Sr., OH
Maddi Sgattoni, Navy, Sr., OH
Maggie Bodman, Navy, Fr., MB
Note: Teams are listed in alphabetical order by school
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.