HADLEY, MA — A trio of Eph juniors were chosen for the New England Small College Athletic Conference’s all-league teams Wednesday.
The Williams tandem of Kate Anderson (Berlin, Mass.) and Nicole Ballon-Landa (La Jolla, Calif.) were named to the All-NESCAC First Team for the second year in a row. Junior setter Emily Avis (Palo Alto, CA) was selected to the All-NESCAC Second Team.
Anderson, an outside hitter, leads the conference in kills with a 4.73 average while also ranking fourth in hitting percentage at .315. She has also contributed 1.37 digs and 0.46 blocks per set so far this season. She leads the Ephs with 336 total kills and is second to Ballon-Landa in hitting percentage (.315). She also has 33 blocks this season.
Ballon-Landa has played in every set for the Ephs for the second consecutive year. The middle blocker is currently second among conference players in hitting percentage (.331) and 14th in kills per set (2.55) while recording 0.64 blocks per set. Her .331 hit percentage leads Williams, as do her 66 total blocks.
Anderson and Ballon-Landa were also named to The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I First team.
Avis leads the conference with 407 assists (conference play only) and 11.31 assists per set. She has 1,126 assists on the season, an average of 10.93 per set. She’s also contributed 25 service aces, third on the team, and 2332 digs, fourth-best on the squad. Like Ballon-Landa, Avis as played in every set this season for the Ephs.
All three players recognized by the NESCAC were named to all-tournament teams this season. Anderson was selected to the Hall of Fame Invitational All-Tournament team, Avis was selected to the Stevens Tech Invitational All-Tournament team, and Ballon-Landa earned the honor at the MIT Invitational.
Ballon-Landa was also a Second Team All-NESCAC selection in 2007 as well as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Both Ballon-Landa and Anderson was Honorable Mention All-America (AVCA) last season, as well as All-New England selections.
The trio helped their squad retain the NESCAC crown this past weekend at Tufts for the third year in a row. Williams has won seven conference titles this decade. The Ephs (21-8) open play in the NCAA Div. III New England Regional at Tufts against Emerson tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.
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| Kate Anderson '11 | Nicole Ballon-Landa '11 | Emily Avis '11 |
