NEW ORLEANS, La. – Talladega College was well represented when the GCAC announced the yearly awards Sunday.
The regular-season champions had the Player of the Year, Attacker of the Year, Coach of the Year and five student-athletes earn recognition by the GCAC for their effort during the 2023 season.
Lashaunda Spurgeon picked up GCAC Coach of the Year honors in her first year with the program. She led the Tornadoes to a 28-8 overall record, including a 15-1 ledger in league play. Spurgeon's team won the GCAC regular-season championship under her guidance. Spurgeon helped the squad win the last 10 regular-season matches to claim the title. During the 10-match winning streak, the team swept nine contests and lost just one set. For the season, Spurgeon's squad went 11-1 at home.
Zyaire Prettie-Garrit, a senior outside hitter from Long Beach, Calif., was tabbed the GCAC Player of the Year and GCAC Attacker of the Year. She leads the conference with 3.58 kills per set. Prettie-Garrit also leads the league with 358 kills with a .298 attack percentage. She also sports a conference-best 4.1 points per frame.
In addition to her two major league accolades, Prettie-Garrit was also a first-team all-conference selection.
Giovana Costarelli and
Briyith Echeverri garnered first-team honors while
Nedu Evans and
Kiana Polk picked up second-team honors for their hard work and effort.
Costarelli has been outstanding behind the service line. Her 62 aces top the league while her 591 assists are third best. The junior right-side hitter's 0.50 aces per set put her third among league leaders. A native of Santa Barbara D'Oeste, Brazil, the standout also posted 203 digs, which is good enough for 14
th in the conference.
Echeverri's 487 digs put her second in the league as are her 4.43 digs per set. The sophomore libero from Cali., Columbia, has also been sensational behind the service line, serving up 43 aces, which puts her fifth in the league.
Evans, a middle blocker from Cartersville, Ga., is ninth in the conference with 2.6 points per set. The graduate student is second with 69 block assists and second with 86 total blocks. She ranks fifth with 18 solo blocks. Evans is fourth in the conference with 231 kills.
Polk, an outside hitter from Buford, Ga., is second overall in the league with 289 kills and 708 attacks. The sophomore's 300.5 points also put her fourth among the entire conference. Evans has been outstanding with her attacks, ranking fifth with a solid .189 attack percentage.
