ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Southern Vermont College junior libero Heidy Benitez (Tulare, Calif.) has been selected as the 2017 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Women's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year as announced by the league on Tuesday. Additionally, three other Mountaineers were decorated with all-conference honors.

Junior captain Liv Sowles (Sacramento, Calif.) was named to the All-NECC First Team while Benitez and freshman Nikki Ramirez (West Covina, Calif.) were both voted to the All-NECC Second Team. Bennington College freshman Kemly Derby (New York, N.Y.) was selected to represent SVC on the NECC All-sportsmanship Team.

Benitez had a tremendous season on the defensive side of things for SVC as she led the league in both overall digs (464) and digs per set (5.46); that first mark broke the school record for the most in a single season while the second saw the junior rank in the top 50 of NCAA Division III through the last few weeks of the campaign. She also added 38 service aces and 26 kills on the year. Benitez is Southern Vermont's first Defensive Player of the Year since Joanna Hogue claimed the laurel in 2011.

"Heidy is very deserving of the top defensive award as we were really able to base our entire system around her effectiveness," SVC first-year head coach Pat Robidoux said. "She kept us in matches all season long with her great serve receive and defense, and we look forward to more dominance from her next year. Heidy has been an absolute pleasure to coach, and I am so proud of all she has accomplished here at SVC."

Sowles' season was nothing short of amazing as she placed highly in many of the Conference's statistical categories—as well as a few national rankings. She was first in the NECC in kills per set (4.16) and second in overall kills (329); the latter of those figures lands her at fifth on SVC's single season record list while the former puts her in the top 20 of DIII as of Tuesday. Her 57 aces in 79 games (0.72/set) ranks the junior at 22nd in the country for aces per set at the time of her All-NECC announcement, and she added 221 digs (2.80/set) on the defensive side. Between her kills, aces, and 50 total blocks, Sowles is currently at fourth in NCAA DIII in points per set with 5.29. She was named the NECC Player of the Week one time this year, and she's the first Southern Vermont player to make it onto the All-NECC First Team since 2014 (Jessica Delgado).

"Liv was the glue to our team all year," Robidoux said. "Her offense, defense, serving, and blocking were all dominant and resulted in her leading the Conference in multiple stat lines while being a runner-up in several others. Liv is one of the best scorers in the country, and she deserves to be First Team All-Conference and much more. We are really happy to have her here at SVC."

Ramirez followed Sowles in many of the statistical categories as she was a terrific addition to the Mountaineer squad during her freshman campaign. She was second for Southern Vermont in total kills (215), kills per set (2.72), and service aces per set (0.68) while ranking third in digs per set with 2.59. The rookie notched eight double-doubles on the year, and her 3.5 points per set were the seventh-most in the league and the most for any Conference freshman.

"It's easy to forget how young Nikki is because of her level of play," Robidoux commented, "but her youthful exuberance kept us in many matches as she provided us with tons of great energy. Truly emerging as a dominant hitter at the start of Conference play, Nikki began to improve her game tremendously as the season grew. We are really excited to see all of her hard offseason work pay off next year."

Derby was a solid part of the Mountaineers' success as she supported the SVC attack and block from the middle of the net. She notched 61 kills, 80 digs, and 26 aces on the year while chalking up the team's second-most total blocks with 43. The Bennington freshman had six blocks in Southern Vermont's first win of the season—that being part of the reason she was named the NECC Rookie of the Week in late September. Further than the stat line, Derby provided energy and enthusiasm for her team and respected the sport, her teammates, her opponents, and the officials in the utmost regard.

"Kemly's mission on the court is always about having fun and being competitive," Robidoux said. "She never crossed the boundary and always represented SVC well on the court this season—which is why I am excited that she is on the All-sportsmanship Team. Kemly deserves recognition for her positive attitude and friendliness, as well as for her skills as a player."

NECC coaches voted to determine the league's top award winners and all-conference teams after the conclusion of the regular season and before the start of the championship tournament.

2017 NECC Women's Volleyball All-Conference Teams & Major Award Winners

Player of the Year – Kaylee Deluga, Lesley
Defensive Player of the Year – Heidy Benitez, Southern Vermont
Rookie of the Year – Dakota Stewart, Elms
Coach of the Year – Sheila Gisbrecht, Elms 

All-NECC First Team
Anni Abbruzzese, Lesley (Sr., OH, Croton on Hudson, N.Y.)
Kaitlyn Anderson, Dean (Jr. MB, Clinton, Conn.)
Kaylee Deluga, Lesley (Sr., MH, Dennis, Mass.)
Danielle Redding, Elms (Jr., OH, Las Vegas, Nev.)
Liv Sowles, Southern Vermont (Jr., OH/OPP, Sacramento, Calif.)
Dakota Stewart, Elms (Fr., S, Victoria, Texas)

All-NECC Second Team
Heidy Benitez, Southern Vermont (Jr., DS/S, Tulare, Calif.)
Sofia Cullina, Becker (So., OH, Deep River, Conn.)
Kayla Dupree, Becker (Jr., MB/OH, North Bergen, N.J.)
Hannah Pichardo, Elms (Fr., A, South Glen Falls, N.Y.)
Nikki Ramirez, Southern Vermont (Fr., OH/OPP, West Covina, Calif.)
Aminah Tsonga, Dean (Fr., OH, Plainville, Conn.)

NECC All-sportsmanship Team
Lexi Cears, Bay Path (Jr., Agawam, Mass.)
Micaela Rice, Becker (So., Charlton, Mass.)
Samantha Trullo, Dean (Sr., Chelmsford, Mass.)
Kate Moriarty, Elms (Sr., Agawam, Mass.)
Allie Charron, Lesley (Sr., Barnstable, Mass.)
Megan Elphick, Mitchell (Sr., Waterford, Conn.)
Ruby Bryant, Newbury (Fr., New Haven, Conn.)
Kemly Derby, Southern Vermont (Fr., New York, N.Y.)

– #LetsGoSVC –