McFarland Named UAA Volleyball Most Valuable Player; Coaching Staff Receives Recognition

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Senior middle blocker Julianna McFarland of the Carnegie Mellon University volleyball team has been named University Athletic Association (UAA) Most Valuable Player when the league announced its postseason accolades on Tuesday. McFarland also landed a spot on the All-UAA first team while juniors Neha Tummala and Kate Giang were named to the second team with senior Katherine Jackson and junior Zoe Gavros being recognized as honorable mention honorees.

The Tartan coaching staff under the direction of seven-year head coach Anne Bock and assistant coach Erin Street were honored as the Coaching Staff of the Year after the Cardinal and Gray claimed their first UAA Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Tartans finished the regular season with an overall record of 24-8. The 24 wins are the most under Bock's leadership.

McFarland becomes the third Tartan to receive the MVP of the association, joining Stephanie Szobota in 1999 and Lauren Schmidt in 2001. This is her second appearance on the All-UAA team, as she was named to the second team a year ago.

McFarland led the UAA in block solos with 38, total blocks with 124 and blocks per set at 1.31 while ranking second in block assists with 88. She finished the regular season third on the Tartans with 197 kills, 2.07 kills per set and a hitting percentage at .270. Here 197 kills ranked fourth in the UAA. In UAA play, she recorded 38 total blocks and ranked second in the association with a hitting percentage of .319.

Tummala is also making her second appearance on the All-UAA team, repeating as a second team selection. She led the Tartans with 850 assists and 7.26 assists per set which ranked second and third, respectively, in the UAA during the regular season. The junior ranked second on the team with 53 service aces and fourth on the Tartans with 281 digs. Her 53 aces ranked third best in the UAA. Eary in the season she recorded a career-high seven aces in a win over John Carroll.

Giang led the Tartans with 337 kills, 2.91 kills per set and 59 service aces. Her 59 aces ranked second most in the UAA while he ranked fifth in kills and eighth in kills per set in the UAA. Her 339 digs were second most on the team and sixth best in the association. In the Tartans win over sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins in September, Giang recorded a career-high 27 digs. The junior also tabbed a career-high seven aces against Saint Vincent.

Jackson has the second most kills on the team with 273 while also ranking third with 39 service aces and 321. In the Tartans quarterfinal win over Case Western Reserve, Jackson recorded a career-high 17 kills. Earlier this season she recorded a career-high 21 digs in the Tartans win over nationally ranked Ithaca.

Gavros ended the regular season with 501 digs to lead the Tartans while ranking second in the UAA. In the Tartans win over sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins in September, the junior recorded a career-high 43 digs. Gavros also tied for third on the team with 39 service aces as she tabbed a career-best five in a win at Baldwin Wallace.