LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – It was a near clean sweep of the major awards as the Lock Haven women's volleyball team took home three of the four Eastern Division major awards as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) announced the all-conference teams on Thursday.

Freshman Natalie Gibson earned Freshman of the Year honors, Olivia Taylor picked up a Defensive Player of the Year nod and head coach Mike Kraft notched his second selection as Coach of the Year.

Aside from the individual awards, Gibson and Taylor were named to the first team while Maddie Mitchell and Payton Stanton earned second team honors as the Bald Eagles were tied for the most selections among Eastern Division teams.

For Kraft, the Coach of the Year selection is his second in four seasons after leading the Bald Eagles to their first 20-win season since 2015.



Gibson was a first-team selection and was also named PSAC Eastern Division Freshman of the Year. She is the first Lock Haven player to win the award since Lock Haven Hall of Famer Gao Xuan earned the top rookie award in 2009. A native of Tallahassee, Fla., Gibson has totaled 937 assists and 40 service aces on the year and ranks fourth in the conference in total assists. Along with her season rankings, Gibson had a season-high 56 assists on Sept. 18 at Bloomsburg and a season-high five aces on Oct. 10 against East Stroudsburg.



Taylor joined Gibson the first team and was also named PSAC Eastern Division Defensive Player of the Year. She is the first Lock Haven player to earn the honor since Erin Walsh in 2012. Taylor has 654 digs and 59 service aces this season, with both leading the league. The Bellefonte, Pa. native had a season-high 45 digs on Sept. 12 against Jefferson and a season-high nine aces on Sept. 19 against Lackawanna. Taylor ranks second in Division II in digs per set with 6.4 and is 11th in aces per set with 0.58.



Mitchell earned second team honors after leading the Bald Eagles with 273 kills during her sophomore campaign. The DeForest, Wisc. native posted a season-high 19 kills on Sept. 12 against Edinboro and surpassed 500 career kills during the season. Her 2.87 kills per set is good enough for 14th in the PSAC.



Stanton also picked up second team honors following a standout sophomore season. The Punta Gorda, Fla. native posted 182 kills with a .306 hitting percentage and a team-high 64 blocks. Stanton recorded a season-high 17 kills on Sept. 26 at Shippensburg and a season-high eight blocks on Oct. 2 at West Chester.