PAC Release

TRAFFORD, Pa. -- After winning its first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship in program history, the Allegheny College volleyball team was well represented during Tuesday night's PAC Sports Network awards show.

Not only did a team-record five Gators earn All-PAC accolades, but Allegheny nearly swept the major awards. Dagney Javes (Frederick, Colo./Dawson School) was voted the PAC Player of the Year, and for the second consecutive season, Jacy Diaz (Barranquitas, Puerto Rico/Gallatin (Tenn.)) was crowned the Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, head coach Kelly Barzak was named the PAC Coach of the Year.

Allegheny also led the league with four All-PAC First Team honorees: Javes, Diaz, Angelee Bawek (Goodyear, Ariz./Estrella Foothills), and Meagan Robare (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area). Rounding out the team's award winners was Duru Akbas (Ankara, Turkey/Layton Christian Academy (Utah)), who was an All-PAC Honorable Mention.

The MVP of last year's ECAC Championship Tournament, Javes logged the best year of her four-year Allegheny career this fall. The senior middle hitter from the Centennial State enters the NCAA regional rounds with career highs in kills (402), kills per set (3.62), and hitting percentage (.317). She ranks second in the PAC in hitting percentage and third in both kills and kills per set. Javes posted double-digit kills in all but six matches this season, including a season-high of 22 in a five-set win over Muskingum University on August 30. She also tossed a career-high 26 aces and finished with 68 total blocks. Javes was named PAC Offensive Player of the Week three times, most recently after totaling 34 kills in back-to-back wins over Grove City College and Saint Vincent College in late October.

Diaz is the first Gator to win multiple major awards at the conference level since Molly Dietz '92 was crowned North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Player of the Year three times from 1989-91. The two-time PAC Defensive Player of the Year ranks sixth in Division III in total digs (674) and 10th in digs per set (6.02), and is second on the team in aces (49). Diaz had double-digit digs in all but one match and, on seven occasions, recorded at least 30 digs in a match. The third-year libero had a season-high 38 digs in a four-set win over Bethany College on October 11 and added 37 in a four-set win over PAC tournament finalist Saint Vincent on October 26. A two-time PAC Defensive Player of the Week, Diaz earned a spot on the PAC All-Tournament Team after making a combined 40 digs in the semis and finals.

The PAC Championship Tournament MVP, Bawek, was lethal in her second season as an outside hitter. In fact, she enters the NCAA regionals with more kills (410) and a higher kills-per-set average (3.69) than Javes. Bawek currently ranks second in the PAC and 27th in Division III with 410 kills. Bawek has been on fire in recent weeks, hitting above .300 in four of the last five matches, with double-doubles in nine of the previous 12. In the PAC championship match against the Bearcats, the second-year hitter floored 20 kills with a .410 attack percentage and a season-high 21 digs.

Robare earned All-PAC honors for the first time in her career in 2024. Another member of the PAC All-Tournament Team, the senior setter dished out a team-leading 694 assists for an average of 6.20 assists per set. That rate increased to 6.89 assists per set in Allegheny's 10 conference matches. Robare added 87 digs, 55 kills, 32 total blocks, and 16 aces for a well-rounded season. The senior from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, handed out 41 assists against Washington and Jefferson College on September 13 and again on November 6 against Thiel College.

Akbas, a defensive specialist, was named an All-PAC Honorable Mention following a solid sophomore season. Originally from Ankara, Turkey, Akbas is third on the team in digs (259) and digs per set (2.31) and leads the PAC with 54 aces. Her .951 receiving percentage is tied with Diaz for the second-best on the team. She played a key role in Allegheny's regular-season victory over PAC runner-up Saint Vincent with a season-high 20 digs.

Barzak, in her eighth season at the helm of the Gators, was honored by her peers as the PAC's Coach of the Year. Allegheny's 2024 campaign has been one of the greatest in decades. Not only did the Blue and Gold win their first-ever PAC title and their first conference championship since 1991, but the team's 26 wins are the most since 2003. Barzak is the only the second coach in program history to earn a Coach of the Year award, joining the legendary Bridget Sheehan, who was a three-time selection in the NCAC (1987, 1990, and 2016). 

Third-year defensive specialist Jayne Seth (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) was also recognized by the PAC as a member of the Sportsmanship Team. The PAC Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior, and are an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all PAC teams and student-athletes. In 2024, Jayne appeared in 11 matches, compiling 19 digs and one ace.