Poissant Lands Second-Straight PSUAC Player Of The Year Award; Leads Four On All-Conference Teams

MEDIA, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine senior Nikki Poissant (Aston, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) has been selected as the Penn State University Athletic Conference Player of the Year by the league's coaches for the second-straight season the conference announced on Thursday.

Poissant also garnered first team all-conference accolades for the third consecutive season, while Becca Civera (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) and Nicolette Napoleon (Springfield, Pa./Penn Charter) claimed Second Team All-PSUAC laurels and Sullivan Stark (Middletown, Del./William Penn) earned All-PSUAC honorable mention honors.

Poissant, a 2016 USCAA Second Team All-American and now a four-time all-conference standout in her four-year career, was a starter in all 27 matches this fall. She ranks third in the league with 270 kills, also matching her career high for a season set last year, entering the USCAA Tournament next week. In 18 matches against PSUAC foes, Poissant reached double figures in kills nine times, including eight-of-10 matches against teams that reached the playoffs.

Poissant also ranked among the league leaders with 204 digs and 61 service aces. She set a season high with 18 digs against Penn State Beaver on Sept. 30, while tallying a season-best 18 kills on two occasions during the season.

Poissant, who recorded her 900th career dig on Saturday during the Lions' semifinal victory over Penn State DuBois, needs three kills during the USCAA Tournament to reach 900 for her career.

Civera became the team's full-time libero for the first time this fall and recorded a Brandywine-best 250 digs, ranking her fifth in the conference. She recorded at least 15 digs seven times, including a career high 29 against Penn State Beaver on Sept. 30. Civera also tallied 48 aces, good for fifth on the team, while playing in 26 matches. During her three-year career, Civera owns 523 digs and 107 service aces.

Napoleon set career bests in kills, digs, aces and blocks this season to earn all-conference honors. She produced 133 kills, the fourth-highest total on the team, while also ranking four with 49 aces and 89 digs. Napoleon's 24 blocks were fifth-best. In 65 career matches, Napoleon has produced 284 kills and 145 digs.

Stark, who claimed honorable mention accolades for the second-straight season as the team's setter, enters the USCAA Tournament with 701 assists, the second-highest total in the PSUAC. She averages 8.35 assists per set, the top mark in the conference, while also producing a PSUAC-best 92 aces. In addition, Stark tallied 107 digs, 45 kills and 28 blocks. She needs 399 assists to become the second student-athlete from Brandywine to eclipse 2,000 for a career.
In addition, Hannah Sarafinas (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) was named as the John Fritz Sportsmanship Award winner. Named after former PSUAC Commissioner John Fritz, the sportsmanship award is given to one player from each team in the league who best displays the core values of the league and sportsmanship to teammates and opponents throughout the season. Sarafinas recorded 73 kills, 34 blocks and 19 digs in 25 matches this fall for Brandywine.

After winning its second conference championship, Brandywine earned the PSUAC's automatic bid to the USCAA Tournament. Seeded eighth, Brandywine will play four round-robin matches in pool play on Nov. 9-10.