Taylor Austin of Ashburn Named AVCA East Coast Honorable Mention

2016 Dec 6

James Madison volleyball's junior defensive specialist Taylor Austin of Ashburn was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as Austin earned East Coast Region Honorable Mention accolades.

Austin earns her first AVCA honor with her Honorable Mention recognition as the libero has proven to be one of the best defensive players in the country all season long. The Ashburn, Va. native was honored earlier this season as the CAA and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year as she led the conference and ranked second in the nation in both total digs (684) and digs per set (5.85). Both marks are the second-highest ever recorded over a single season.

The junior garnered double-digit digs in all of her 31 appearances while recording 17 contests with at least 20 digs. Austin tallied her 1,000th career digs earlier this season and is just one of three Dukes to ever eclipse 1,200 career digs. She currently ranks third on JMU's all-time digs chart with 1,551 while ranking second with a 4.86 digs per set mark.

Austin is now eligible for AVCA All-American Honorable Mention honors. The AVCA Division I All-Americans will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 14.