COMMERCE – Tarleton Volleyball had four players recognized as all-conference at the annual Lone Star Conference awards banquet on Wednesday evening.
Adriana Darthuy and Tatyana Tuialii-Umi were both first team all-LSC selections to lead the Texan award winners. Lauren Kersey was named second team all-conference while Sofia Tonga was tabbed honorable mention all-LSC.
“I’m very happy for the individual accolades,” said head coach Mary Schindler. “Each one of them earned it. These athletes have been selfless all season and done whatever I’ve asked of them in order to help their team win. I’m proud to coach such hard-working players and look forward to a strong showing in the conference tournament.”
Darthuy, the LSC preseason Player of the Year, is a first team All-LSC winner in back-to-back seasons to close out her Texan career. Darthuy landed 165 kills, 95 assists, a team-leading 35 service aces, and 218.5 points offensively. Defensively, the 2018 all-American recorded 425 digs along with 31 blocks this season. Darthuy posted five matches with double-digit kills, led by a season-high 17 at Metro State. She also had four double-doubles and had double-digit digs in 24 matches.
Tuialii-Umi had a breakout season as a senior, leading the Texans with 366 kills at 3.18 kills per set and had a team-high 420 points in the regular season. The Bell, California native had double-digit kills in 23 of the 30 matches played, including a career-high 22 kills against St. Edward’s which led to the LSC Offensive Player of the Week award and the AVCA National Player of the Week award. Defensively, Tuialii-Umi recorded 176 digs and 77 blocks.
Kersey has her second straight all-conference honor to begin her Texan career as the sophomore was second on the team with 298 kills and posted a team-best .338 hitting percentage. Kersey had 359.5 points on the season and 3.15 points per set. Kersey was named the LSC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 17 after leading the Texans with a career-high 19 kills on a .516 hitting percentage in a road win at Metro State. Kersey also added 62 digs and 77 blocks defensively.
Sofia Tonga capped off her senior year with her first career all-LSC award after posting 148 kills and 232.5 points on a .254 hitting percentage. Tonga made her impact on the defensive end, landing a team-high 139 blocks, which ranks second in the LSC and eighth in all of NCAA Division II. Tonga was a two-time LSC Defensive Player of the Week winner this season, tied for most in the LSC. She registered a program-record 17 blocks in a single match at DBU back on Oct. 12.
Tarleton will open the Lone Star Conference Championship tournament as the No. 4 seed against No. 5 seed West Texas A&M on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. in Commerce at the Field House.
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