Kepler and Lydick Named ECAC All-Stars

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Sophomore Amelia Kepler (Kane, Pa./Kane Area) and junior Courtney Lydick (McKean, Pa./General McLane) of the No. 23 Juniata women's volleyball team were selected to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III South Volleyball All-Stars team. 

Juniata was one of only two schools to have multiple student-athletes recognized.  The other was Stevenson University who also swept the player and rookie of the year honors.

"I think it's always a great honor," said Head Coach Heather Pavlik of the duos selection.  "Both [Amelia and Courtney] were markedly improved from the year before.  They worked very, very hard from last year."

Both Kepler and Lydick were First-Team All-Landmark selections.  They accounted for nearly a third of the Eagles kills against Landmark opponents and finished the year top three on the team in kills and blocks.

"I think for Amelia, going from a freshman to a sophomore, she made a big jump," said Pavlik.  "She worked very hard for that.  And certainly for Courtney, she took a lot more charge, was way more assertive in the offense and had worked very hard in the offseason to do that as well as improve her blocking, which she did."

Juniata loses only one senior from its 2012 squad.  While four-time all-conference hitter Kelsey Fuller (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) leaves a large void behind, the Eagles will return five of its starters including second-team all-conference selections Sarah McCarthy (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook) and Christine Sumner (Dublin, Ohio/Bishop Watterson).

"We're young," added Pavlik.  "I think we have been young the last couple years and I think that we're growing.  We've got lots of young players with lots of experience, which we did not have before this year.  I think that the test for this particular group is probably coming up in the next year or so."

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