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| Chinedu Echebelem |
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| Hannah Lawing |
NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana picked up two more Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball awards when Chinedu Echebelem was named Player of the Year and Hannah Lawing received Coach of the Year.
The awards, voted on by the league's head coaches, were announced Thursday at a banquet on the eve of the GCAC Tournament. Xavier, the regular-season champion and tournament's No. 1 seed, will play at 3 p.m. Friday in the semifinals at its Convocation Center against the winner of a noon match between Philander Smith and Talladega.
Echebelem, a 5-foot-6 senior outside hitter from Dallas and a graduate of Duncanville High School, will enter the tournament with 187 kills, a .208 hitting percentage, 217 digs and 14 blocks. She has seven kill-dig double-doubles this season.
"I am very thankful and grateful for this award," said Echebelem, who on Wednesday was named All-GCAC for the third time. "Behind every great player is a great team. I could not have won this award without them. I dedicate this award to my teammates and both my coaches."
Last week Echebelem was named to the Capital One Academic All-District 2 college division team.
"Nay (Echebelem) earned Player of the Year," Lawing said. "She deserved it. I'm happiest for her."
Lawing, in her third year at Xavier and second as head coach, led the Gold Nuggets to a 14-0 GCAC record and 18-5 overall. The regular-season championship is Xavier's fourth in a row.
"I could not have received this award without the people surrounding me," Lawing said. "My team, my assistant coach, Hilary Lobenstein, our trainer, Allie Wood, our staff and fellow coaches at Xavier and my boss, Jason Horn. I owe it all to them."
Lawing, 25, is 44-13 as the Nuggets' coach. Lobenstein joined the staff this summer.
"I want to emphasize how important Hilary is to me and the girls," Lawing said. "She is a blessing to everyone in our program, and I'm so grateful she is with us."
Xavier won Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons and Coach of the Year for the third time in four years. Taylor Reuther, who is redshirting this season, was the 2012 Player of the Year. Christabell Hamilton won Coach of the Year in her only seasons at Xavier, 2011 and 2012.
Xavier will enter the tournament with a 57-match win streak against GCAC opponents -- including 11 consecutive tournament victories the past three seasons -- and a 55-match win streak against HBCUs.
The championship match will start at noon Saturday at Xavier.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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