University of Delaware Athletics
Volleyball Lands Four On CAA All-Conference Teams
11/15/2023 11:00:00 AM | Volleyball
RICHMOND, Va. - University of Delaware volleyball earned four CAA All-Conference honors, the league announced on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. Lani Mason was named First-Team, Ezgi Basaranlar and Kirah Johnson were named Second-Team, and Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss earned All-Rookie honors.Â
Mason earned First-Team honors for the third straight season. She becomes the second Delaware player ever to earn three CAA First-Team selections, joining Stephanie Barry, who also did so in three consecutive seasons from 2007-2009. Mason finished the regular season with 358 kills in 100 sets played, ranking second in the CAA in kills per set at 3.58 and in total kills, and started in all 26 matches so far. She has 50 aces on the year, ranking second in the CAA in aces per set at 0.50 and 18th in the NCAA, and second in the CAA in total aces and 16th in the NCAA. She has also added 243 digs, 2.43 digs per set, 42 total blocks, and 13 double-doubles. Notably, she recorded 21 kills with a .576 hitting percentage on Sept. 10 against Rider, 22 kills, 12 digs, and three blocks against Towson on Sept. 22, 15 kills, a .389 hitting percentage, and 10 digs against Stony Brook on Oct. 15, 14 kills and a .600 hitting percentage against N.C. A&T on Nov. 4, and 21 kills, a .333 hitting percentage, and 12 digs against Elon on Nov. 12. She currently sits at 1,485 career kills, fifth most in program history.Â
Basaranlar earned Second-Team honors also for the third straight season. In 100 sets played this season, Basaranlar has recorded 943 assists, 213 digs, 71 blocks, 27 aces, and hit .240 with 38 kills. She ranks third in the conference in assists per set and total assists. For the year, she recorded at least 40 assists in nine matches, including a season-best 51 on Sept. 1 against Tarleton State. She also tallied seven double-doubles on the year. Against Towson on Sept. 22, she had a career-best six kills to go with 42 assists and 16 blocks. Earlier this season, she became the fourth player in Delaware history to reach 3,500 career assists and currently ranks third all-time with 3,839 career assists. She ranks 15th among all active players in career assists.Â
Johnson earned her first career All-CAA honor. Now in her third season as a Blue Hen after transferring from Virginia Tech, Johnson has also played in all 100 sets this season, and recorded 239 kills, a .368 hitting percentage, and 102 total blocks. Johnson is leading the conference in hitting percentage and is ranked third in blocks per set and fourth in total blocks. She had 12 double-digit kill games, 11 games hitting at least. 400, and five games hitting at least .500. Against Tarleton State on Sept. 1, she tied a career-best in kills with 14 and hit .407 with nine blocks. She earned CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 16 after recording 16 blocks in seven sets and two matches against Stony Brook, including 13 blocks on Oct. 15. Her 13 blocks were tied for the fourth most in program history and the most by a Blue Hen since Oct. 5, 2012.
Whitfield-Moss became the first Delaware player to be named to the CAA All-Rookie Team since Lily Rogers and Savannah Seemans in 2020. In 15 matches played and 47 sets, Whitfield-Moss has 76 kills, hit .254, and has recorded 47 total blocks. Whitfield-Moss earned CAA Rookie of the Week on Oct. 23 and Nov. 6, one of four players to earn the award twice during the season. She is the first Delaware player to earn two Rookie of the Week honors in the same season since Basaranlar in 2019. In her first career start, she burst onto the scene with 13 kills and a .435 hitting percentage against The College of Charleston on Oct. 1. She had a season-best eight blocks against Stony Brook on Oct. 14.Â
Delaware enters the CAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed, and will square off against the winner of No. 3 Campbell and No. 6 Northeastern on Friday at 6:30 P.M. in Towson, Md. Delaware's 22 wins this season are their most since winning 26 in 2010. Their 13 consecutive wins and 13 consecutive wins against CAA opponents is their longest since winning a program record 14 straight from Oct. 3-Nov. 21, 2010. Delaware has a road record of 10-1 and 12-1 away from home. It's their most road wins in a season since 2007, when they went 10-4 in road games. They rank 71 in RPI, best in the CAA. Kimberly Lambert is in her second season as head coach of the program and is 39-15 in her first two years. Her 39 wins are the most by a Delaware head coach in their first two seasons in program history.Â
For the latest on Delaware volleyball, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook
Mason earned First-Team honors for the third straight season. She becomes the second Delaware player ever to earn three CAA First-Team selections, joining Stephanie Barry, who also did so in three consecutive seasons from 2007-2009. Mason finished the regular season with 358 kills in 100 sets played, ranking second in the CAA in kills per set at 3.58 and in total kills, and started in all 26 matches so far. She has 50 aces on the year, ranking second in the CAA in aces per set at 0.50 and 18th in the NCAA, and second in the CAA in total aces and 16th in the NCAA. She has also added 243 digs, 2.43 digs per set, 42 total blocks, and 13 double-doubles. Notably, she recorded 21 kills with a .576 hitting percentage on Sept. 10 against Rider, 22 kills, 12 digs, and three blocks against Towson on Sept. 22, 15 kills, a .389 hitting percentage, and 10 digs against Stony Brook on Oct. 15, 14 kills and a .600 hitting percentage against N.C. A&T on Nov. 4, and 21 kills, a .333 hitting percentage, and 12 digs against Elon on Nov. 12. She currently sits at 1,485 career kills, fifth most in program history.Â
Basaranlar earned Second-Team honors also for the third straight season. In 100 sets played this season, Basaranlar has recorded 943 assists, 213 digs, 71 blocks, 27 aces, and hit .240 with 38 kills. She ranks third in the conference in assists per set and total assists. For the year, she recorded at least 40 assists in nine matches, including a season-best 51 on Sept. 1 against Tarleton State. She also tallied seven double-doubles on the year. Against Towson on Sept. 22, she had a career-best six kills to go with 42 assists and 16 blocks. Earlier this season, she became the fourth player in Delaware history to reach 3,500 career assists and currently ranks third all-time with 3,839 career assists. She ranks 15th among all active players in career assists.Â
Johnson earned her first career All-CAA honor. Now in her third season as a Blue Hen after transferring from Virginia Tech, Johnson has also played in all 100 sets this season, and recorded 239 kills, a .368 hitting percentage, and 102 total blocks. Johnson is leading the conference in hitting percentage and is ranked third in blocks per set and fourth in total blocks. She had 12 double-digit kill games, 11 games hitting at least. 400, and five games hitting at least .500. Against Tarleton State on Sept. 1, she tied a career-best in kills with 14 and hit .407 with nine blocks. She earned CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 16 after recording 16 blocks in seven sets and two matches against Stony Brook, including 13 blocks on Oct. 15. Her 13 blocks were tied for the fourth most in program history and the most by a Blue Hen since Oct. 5, 2012.
Whitfield-Moss became the first Delaware player to be named to the CAA All-Rookie Team since Lily Rogers and Savannah Seemans in 2020. In 15 matches played and 47 sets, Whitfield-Moss has 76 kills, hit .254, and has recorded 47 total blocks. Whitfield-Moss earned CAA Rookie of the Week on Oct. 23 and Nov. 6, one of four players to earn the award twice during the season. She is the first Delaware player to earn two Rookie of the Week honors in the same season since Basaranlar in 2019. In her first career start, she burst onto the scene with 13 kills and a .435 hitting percentage against The College of Charleston on Oct. 1. She had a season-best eight blocks against Stony Brook on Oct. 14.Â
Delaware enters the CAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed, and will square off against the winner of No. 3 Campbell and No. 6 Northeastern on Friday at 6:30 P.M. in Towson, Md. Delaware's 22 wins this season are their most since winning 26 in 2010. Their 13 consecutive wins and 13 consecutive wins against CAA opponents is their longest since winning a program record 14 straight from Oct. 3-Nov. 21, 2010. Delaware has a road record of 10-1 and 12-1 away from home. It's their most road wins in a season since 2007, when they went 10-4 in road games. They rank 71 in RPI, best in the CAA. Kimberly Lambert is in her second season as head coach of the program and is 39-15 in her first two years. Her 39 wins are the most by a Delaware head coach in their first two seasons in program history.Â
For the latest on Delaware volleyball, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook
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