Papa and Gream nab top honors from NJCAA Division II
Fresh off winning the 2023 national championship with a record of 41-0, Cowley College sophomore libero Rossana Papa and Lady Tiger head coach Steven Gream received top honors from the NJCAA as Papa was named the NJCAA Division II Volleyball Player of the Year, and Gream was named the NJCAA Division II Volleyball Coach of the Year.
Papa played on Cowley's national championship runner-up team in 2021, then had to redshirt due to a season-ending injury in 2022. This season, her hard work in rehab allowed her to return better and stronger than ever following the injury.
Papa was the NJCAA National Tournament Most Valuable Player of the Tournament and Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division Most Valuable Player. She finished the 2023 season with 1,536 assists at 12.09 assists per set, a .323 hitting %, 85 service aces, 297 digs at 2.34 digs per set, and 48 blocks.
Her 1,536 assists placed her first in the nation, her 12.09 assists per set also placed her first in the nation, and she was ranked 12th in total service aces at 85. She led the region in assists, assists per set, service aces, and service aces per set. Papa became only the second player in Cowley history to reach the 3,000 career assists mark at 3,075 and broke the Cowley volleyball record for service aces in a career with 180.
"Words cannot express how proud I am of her," Gream said. "Coming back from a serious injury and doing the things she did this year, not only with her volleyball skills but her leadership in mentoring our young team, is simply amazing and a gift for any coach and program. She was a big inspiration to our players, who wanted to win the championship for her with all that she had been through. That leadership on the court really helped propel us to win the championship this year."
Dropping only five sets the entire season, Gream coaches one of the most dominant programs in NJCAA Division II history.
"I am very humbled and honored to receive this recognition from the NJCAA," Gream said. "I think it's more of a team award. My name may be on the award, but I think it represents a lot more than just me. It certainly is a testament to our program and the hard work of everyone involved. Starting with our players, who worked hard to enhance their skills, played at a high level, and bought into our system, vision, and philosophy…to our athletic training staff, who kept our players healthy and worked to get our players back from injury quickly…to our administration, who allowed us to do what we do and supported us along the way…to our coaching staff, who put in the hard work training our players on and off the court, scouting, recruiting the right players, and more. It was a great season, and it was a pure joy to work with our players each day and watch them compete."