LEXINGTON, Ky. – Capping off her historic rookie campaign, freshman Emma Sanders (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) of the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team has been named an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-American, as announced by the association Tuesday. The outside hitter recently grabbed AVCA all-region first team honors for her efforts this season. 
 
Sanders becomes the second-ever women's volleyball student-athlete to receive Honorable Mention All-America honors, joining Leah Rogoz, who earned the accolade in her final season back in 2019. Sanders is joined by graduate student Krystina Schueler (Trumbull, Conn.) of Endicott as the two representatives of the Commonwealth Coast Conference on the Honorable Mention list alongside a handful of the most talented student-athletes in the country. 
 
Sanders led the CCC in kills per set with 3.82, smashing a team-high 294 finishes in 77 sets and had a hitting percentage of .276. The rookie also notched 221 digs, dwindled in with eight double-doubles, along with 43 service aces and 49 total blocks. Entering the NCAA Tournament, she ranked 15th nationally in points per set (4.82) and 40th in kills per set (3.88). 
 
The outside hitter set the program's all-time record for most kills in any given match with 26 in a five-set win over Roger Williams back on October 21. Throughout her rookie season, the opposite hitter was named CCC Player of the Week twice and CCC Rookie of the Week three times. 
  
Wentworth finished the season with a 23-6 record. Wentworth's CCC title and NCAA appearance were the program's first since the 2018 season. 
  
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