Gibbons and Higgins Named AVCA All-Region

(LEXINGTON, Ky.) – Junior Jackie Gibbons (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) of the 25th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University volleyball team was selected to the to the All-North Region team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).  Junior Molly Higgins (Vero Beach, Fla./Vero Beach) joins Gibbons on the squad as an honorable mention honoree.

Gibbons appeared in all 125 sets played during the regular season, marking the third straight season she has done so. She led the team with a hitting percentage of .356, which ranks fifth in the University Athletics Association (UAA), along with 343 kills and 2.74 kills per game.  The junior finished second on the team with 74 blocks and 31 service aces. She tallied a career-best 18 kills in the Tartans' victory over nationally ranked Mount Union.  

Higgins leads the UAA with 682 digs and 5.54 digs per game, while her 682 digs is a single-season school record. Her 32 service aces ties her with Gibbons for second best on the team.  Higgins recorded a career-best 37 digs in the Tartans' win over Chicago and had 33 matches with double-digit digs this season, including 16 matches of 20 or more.  The junior posted a career-best five service aces against Point Park.    

The Tartans will host the semifinals and finals of the ECAC South Championship on Saturday, November 14.  Carnegie Mellon will play Bethany College at 11:00 a.m. after the Bison defeated DeSales, 3-1, Wednesday evening.