Posted: Nov 14, 2019

Volleyball Earns Three All-NEWMAC Honors; Webb Named Coach of the Year

(left to right): Seebold, Gedney, Webb, and Doerges each earned NEWMAC postseason honors (Frank Poulin).

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- The New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) released the 2019 volleyball conference and postseason awards on Thursday and Wellesley College volleyball Head Coach Dorothy Webb has been named the 2019 NEWMAC Coach of the Year. In addition, the Blue earned three All-Conference selections, headlined by junior Lauren Gedney's (Huntersville, N.C.) third career All-NEWMAC honor and first selection to the All-Conference First Team. Sophomores Izzy Seebold (Concord, N.C.) and Nicole Doerges (San Marino, Calif.) each earned spots on the All-Conference Second Team.

Dorothy Webb | Head Coach | 2019 NEWMAC Coach of the Year

Now in her 27th season on the Blue bench, Wellesley's all-time leader in victories (632) earns NEWMAC Coach of the Year honors for the first time since 2009, and a conference record 10th time overall, after guiding the Blue to a 22-5 record and a 9-1 mark in NEWMAC regular season play. The Blue earned a share of the NEWMAC regular-season title for the first time since 2013 and advanced to the conference semifinals before falling to Emerson, 3-2. 2019 was the 19th 20-plus win season for Wellesley during Webb's tenure.

Lauren Gedney | JR | Huntersville, N.C. | NEWMAC First Team All-Conference

A NEWMAC Second Team All-Conference selection in 2017 and 2018, Gedney earns her first career First Team All-Conference selection following a season in which she posted career highs in kills (419), kills per set (4.19), attack percentage (.320) and total blocks (64). Gedney finished first in the NEWMAC in total kills and second in kills per set, while raising her game during conference play and leading the NEWMAC in kills per set (4.16) in conference games. She was named NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Week on Oct. 7 after recording 27 kills and a .382 attack percentage in a 2-0 week for the Blue and had a season-high 28 kills in a 3-2 win over Amherst on Oct. 18.

Izzy Seebold | SO | Concord, N.C. | NEWMAC Second Team All-Conference

Seebold has been outstanding in her first full season of action for the Blue. After appearing in just nine matches as a first year in 2018, Wellesley's setter established career-highs across the board in 2019, totaling 1,028 assists (10.18 assists per set), 53 aces and 193 digs in 27 matches this season. Seebold, who is the first Wellesley player with 1,000 assists in a season since Victoria Peng '11 in 2008 (1445), finished the year ranked second in the NEWMAC in assists per set and fifth in aces per set. She was named NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Week on Oct. 15 after totaling 112 assists, seven kills, and five aces in a 3-0 week for Wellesley. Seebold had a season-high 60 assists in a 3-2 win over Endicott on Sept. 14.

Nicole Doerges | SO | San Marino, Calif. | NEWMAC Second Team All-Conference

Doerges finished in the top-ten in the NEWMAC in kills with 301, while also adding 250 digs in 101 sets played to earn her first NEWMAC All-Conference selection. The versatile outside hitter added 56 services aces to finish third in the NEWMAC in aces per set with 0.55. Wellesley's most consistent all-around performer throughout the season, Doerges has 10 kill-dig double-doubles to date. She totaled 20 kills in a 3-1 win over MIT on Oct 22 and a season-high 21 digs in a 3-2 win over Endicott on Sept 14. Doerges also surpassed the 20 digs mark in a 3-2 win over Amherst on Oct. 18, a match where she also tallied 15 kills.

Wellesley opens the 2019 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship on Friday, November 15, in Potsdam, N.Y. with a 5:30 PM match-up against Brockport.

2019 NEWMAC Volleyball All-Conference

Athlete of the Year: Elizabeth Cameron, Babson
Defensive Player of the Year: Madison Lee, MIT
Rookie of the Year: Caroline Bond, Emerson
Coach of the Year: Dorothy Webb, Wellesley

First Team All-Conference

Elizabeth Cameron Babson College
Madison Lee MIT
Lauren Gedney Wellesley College
Allie Puccio Babson College
Grace Tepper Emerson College
Andie Maloney MIT
Amanda Dake U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Second Team All-Conference

Alexis Goark MIT
Becca Houghton Wheaton College
Caroline Bond Emerson College
Izzy Seebold Wellesley College
Nicole Doerges Wellesley College
Amanda Wetmore WPI
Julia Palomba Wheaton College

The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference consists of 11 highly selective institutions committed to academic excellence: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.