Women's Volleyball | 12.10.2019
KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Lewis-Clark State Volleyball's Tori Edwards can now add All-American to her resume after both the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) and the NAIA voted her an Honorable Mention All-American. She also garnered First-Team All-Northwest Region honors and was the Frontier Conference Newcomer of the Year.
"It's an honor to be selected as an All-American and it is something I never could have done without this program," Edwards said. "Being picked is not just a representation of my efforts, but also the skills of my team and my amazing coaching staff. I'm extremely grateful for this program and I'm excited to see how much we can grow this next season."
Edwards is the first All-American under head coach Shaun Pohlman's watch at LC State.
"I remember getting my first All-American when I coached junior college," Pohlman said. "I remember it sinking in and I thought to myself, 'So, this is the bar.' That was a milestone for me then and this is a milestone for me now and a true vision come to life!"
Pohlman's vision for Edwards to be an All-American wasn't inspired by the sophomore transfer's stats as a freshman. Her freshman season saw stats that were slightly above average, but in her first year as a Warrior, Edwards eclipsed that effort and reached new heights. She lead the team in kills with 319 and points with 342.0. She averaged 2.90 kills per set and hit at a clip of .236, fourth best in the conference. On defense she put up 34 blocks.
"Every coach sees the potential each athlete has inside them," Pohlman explained. "All year, I have made the statement to Tori that she is an All-American-level player, but she had a hard time always believing that. I remember even talking to our setters about it, and both of them deserve recognition in this honor as they had to elevate their game in order to elevate Tori's.
"It definitely takes a team to make a player but I want to congratulate Tory on earning this award, and I look forward to her continued contribution for the next two years."
