Five members of coach Ariel Apolinario's Navarro Volleyball team earned All-Region XIV honors in some capacity.
Dominating freshman outside hitters Hanna Tylska and Kalina Pylinska were chosen by the vote of league coaches as first-teamers on the mythical squad. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Lilouann Bechec claimed second-team accolades. Sophomores Ana Beatriz Nunes Dos Santos and transfer setter Berfin Mertcan seized honorable-mention positions.
The quintet played major roles for the 27-8 Bulldogs that reached the Region XIV Tournament Championship Semifinals after a regular season in which Five they were ranked between Nos. 13 and 18 for seven of the NJCAA's 10 rating periods.
Unsurprisingly, record-setting Tylska gained conference superlative honors as Freshman Of The Year. Tylska leads all NJCAA Division I players in four statistical categories (service aces, plus per-set listings for aces, kills and points) . She ranks second in two others (total kills and points), and seventh in yet another (total attacks). The owner of two Navarro single-season records, Tylska had 28 matches of double-figure kills in addition to producing 18 kill-dig double-doubles during her 35-match season. Her exclamation point of the season occurred September 16 at Baytown where she recorded Navarro's first triple-double in more than 10 years during a 3-1 win over College of Southern Idaho. Opponents get double vision at the sight of Pylinska, whose resume is the near-equal of Tylska's and presents the perfect complement. In the aforementioned seven NJCAA statistical categories, Pylinska finished with Top-7 production in three, and Top-10 in three others. Pylinska totaled double-figure kills in 25 matches and finished with 15 kill-dig, double doubles. Against Frank Phillips and Wharton with a personal-high seven service aces, Pylinska narrowly missed rare triple-doubles twice.
Second-team honors went Bechec, who had double-figure dig totals in 18 matches this season, including 26 against New Mexico and 23 against Wharton. She totaled 78 assists, 84 service aces and 630 digs during her two-year career here.
Ana Beatriz Nunes Dos Santos, a CO-VID super sophomore, concluded her career with 541 kills,54 assists, 148 total blocks and 685 points. Her 2022 season included personal-season high matches of 17 kills and three blocks against New Mexico Junior College and 13/3 against Panola. The Brazilian transferred here from St. Petersburg CC, Fl., after the shortened 2020 season.
Mertcan, a transfer from Seward County, Ks., totaled 656 assists during her sophomore season, with season-highs of 36 in wins over NMJC and Wharton.
Original source can be found here.
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