Wellesley Volleyball's Reece, Li, Gedney Selected to NEWMAC All-Conference Team

WESTWOOD, Mass. -- The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced the 2018 Volleyball All-Conference and Postseason awards on Tuesday and Wellesley College seniors Yasmine Reece (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and Michelle Li (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and sophomore Lauren Gedney (Huntersville, N.C.) have all earned All-Conference honors. 

Yasmine Reece | Sr. | New Rochelle, N.Y. | NEWMAC First Team All-Conference

Reece becomes the first Blue volleyball student-athlete since Sydney Carfagno '15 to earn NEWMAC All-Conference honors in all four years of her Wellesley career after posting 301 kills and 93 total blocks in 25 matches during 2018. Reece was named the NEWMAC Offensive Player of the Week twice during her senior campaign while hitting a career-best .360 on 623 attempts. She finished in the top-five in the NEWMAC in multiple categories, as her .360 attack percentage was second, her 3.54 kills per set ranked fourth, and her 1.09 blocks per set ranked first. Reece surpassed 1,000 career kills in a September 7 victory over Suffolk and currently has 1294 kills and 273 blocks in 105 matches. 

Michelle Li | Sr. | Scarsdale, N.Y. | NEWMAC Second Team All-Conference

An honorable mention AVCA All-Region selection in 2017, Li earns her first NEWMAC All-Conference honor with a selection to the Second Team in 2018. Wellesley's senior setter finished the season second in the NEWMAC, averaging 9.92 assists per set, as the Blue hit .220 as a squad through 26 matches this season. Li totaled 833 assists in 23 matches this season, adding 137 digs, 34 kills and 35 total blocks. She surpassed 3,000 career assists in Wellesley's 3-0 victory over Clark on October 2 and surpassed the 50 assist mark in three matches, most recently in the Blue's 3-2 win over Babson on October 23. To date, Li has 3,477 assists, 732 digs and 250 kills in 109 career appearances.

Lauren Gedney | So. | Huntersville, N.Y. | NEWMAC Second Team All-Conference

An All-Conference Second Team selection during her rookie season in 2017, Gedney returns to the All-Conference Second Team in 2018 after finishing sixth in the NEWMAC with 311 kills in 26 matches. Gedney averaged 3.38 kills per set, also sixth in the conference, and finished in double-digits on offense in 18 of the Blue's 26 matches this season. Gedney topped the 20-kill plateau twice during the season, putting down a career-high 25 in a 3-2 win over WPI on September 22 and 22 kills in a 3-2 win over Babson on October 22. Gedney has 678 career kills and 88 total blocks in 55 collegiate matches for the Blue. 

The NEWMAC also recognized the eleven volleyball student-athletes that were named to the All-Sportsmanship Team. The award is intended to recognize one student-athlete from each team, in every sport that best demonstrates the ideals of the NEWMAC and its Code of Conduct, regardless of his/her overall performance or statistics for the season. First year Cayla Brown (Port Chester, N.Y.) was this year's selection for the Blue. The complete list of NEWMAC volleyball honorees are listed below. 

Wellesley (20-6 overall) will open the 2018 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship on Friday, November 9 at 5:30 PM when the Blue take on Wentworth in First Round action. 

2018 NEWMAC Volleyball All-Conference

Athlete of the Year: Abby Bertics, MIT
Defensive Athlete of the Year: Abby Beecher, Babson
Rookie of the Year: Sara Labadorf, Springfield
Coach of the Year: Moira Long, Springfield

2018 Volleyball All-Sportsmanship Team