2021 ALL-C2C VOLLEYBALL TEAMS
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. –Salisbury University was well-represented on the 2021 All-Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Volleyball Teams, as defensive specialist Darian DiMatteo was named C2C Defensive Player of the Year and middle blocker Jenna Feinauer took home C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Both DiMatteo and Feinauer made the All-C2C First Team, while middle blocker Hannah Sullivan earned a slot on the All-C2C Second Team.
DiMatteo, a senior from Frederick, Md., is the second straight Sea Gull to earn conference Defensive Player of the Year after Hailey Dougherty took the title in 2019. She leads the C2C in digs per set (4.64), ranking half a dig higher than her next-closest competitor, and ranks second in total digs (371). DiMatteo's back-line prowess also places her in the top 200 nationally in both categories – she ranks 121st in digs per set and 191st in total digs.
DiMatteo was named C2C Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 1 and has notched 20-plus digs in a game seven times, including a season-high 27 digs on Oct. 29 against Marymount (Va.). She has also recorded 76 assists, good for third on the team, and is one of four Sea Gulls with at least 20 service aces (20).
Feinauer, a junior from Bethesda, Md., earned the league's top academic honor after boasting a 3.94 GPA as an Environmental Science and Spanish double major. She currently leads the C2C in blocks per set (1.10) and ranks 15th in the nation in the category. Feinauer, who is enrolled in the SU Honors College and Bellavance Honors Program, is also nationally ranked in hitting percentage (.374, 22nd) and total blocks (89, 44th), claiming second place in the C2C in both.
Feinauer earned the first C2C Defensive Player of the Week award of the season on Sept. 6 after tallying 19 blocks in Salisbury's first four matches of the season. She has eclipsed 10 kills eight times, swinging a remarkable .543 over those eight matches. Feinauer also has eight efforts this season of five blocks or more, including a season-high eight stuffs on Sept. 10 against Stockton.
Sullivan, a senior from Holland, Pa., came on strong at the end of the season to become the Sea Gulls' third all-conference selection of the year. She currently ranks fourth in the C2C and in the top 200 nationally in blocks per set (0.80), as well as fifth in total blocks (64). Sullivan's .296 attack percentage is good for second on the team behind only Feinauer, and she is one of five SU players with at least 100 kills (111).
Sullivan earned both offensive and defensive recognition from the C2C during a strong month of October. On Oct. 18 she captured C2C Defensive Player of the Week after swatting eight blocks in two matches to go along with nine kills and four aces. Two weeks later on Nov. 1, Sullivan took home C2C Offensive Player of the Week laurels, totaling 20 kills and swinging .419 in the Sea Gulls' final two matches of the regular season.
Behind stellar campaigns from DiMatteo, Feinauer and Sullivan, Salisbury has won seven of its last eight matches, including its first victory over rival and national power Christopher Newport in five years on Oct. 29, to close the regular season with a 14-9 record.
The Sea Gulls begin their quest for the C2C Tournament championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Milwaukee, Wisc. Fourth-seeded SU will take on fifth-seeded Mills College in the quarterfinals at 12 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. CDT). The winner will face top-seeded UC Santa Cruz in the semifinals later that day.
To see the complete list of All-C2C Volleyball honorees, CLICK HERE.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference for men's and women's swimming. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 184 conference championships and 41 Academic All-Americans.
To learn more about the tradition of excellence with Sea Gull Athletics, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.
