Rossana Papa and Laura Bonomi selected AVCA First Team All-Americans
Cowley College sophomore Rossana Papa and freshman Laura Bonomi has added yet another award to their stellar 2023 seasons by each earning the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Two Year College First Team All-American award.
The honor is for all two year schools in the nation and includes players from the NJCAA D-I, D-II, NJCAA D-III, the California Community College Athletic Association and the Northwest Athletic Conference totaling nearly 500 programs. Players who received All-America honors in each league were put together and voted on to make one of the three All-America teams. Each of the three AVCA All-America teams are comprised of 15 athletes. Of the 45 selections, 9 players were selected from the NJCAA D-II ranks. Three total Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) athletes were selected All-American — Sarina Ulberg from Johnson County was the third selection.
"The AVCA is a prestigious organization that works each day to promote the sport and the players," Cowley head coach Steven Gream said. "This honor is very special in that it is not only for our very competitive NJCAA D-II league, but all of the two-year college leagues combined. So, for Rossana and Laura to receive this honor is very exceptional and exciting to see them honored among the top players in the nation in 2023."
Papa secures another impressive achievement from this season after ending the year 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 twelfth 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. Her 1,539 assists in 2021 places her fourth in Cowley history in assists in a season and her 1,536 assists in 2023 placed her fifth. Her 11.96 assists per set places her second on the career list in Cowley history. Her 95 aces in 2021 placed her third most in a season and her 85 aces in 2023 placed her eighth in Cowley history.
Papa's latest addition to the accolades becomes her 11th individual award of the season. She was named NJCAA DII Player of the Year, All-American by Volleyballmag.com, NJCAA First Team All-American, NJCAA Most Valuable Player of the tournament (in the NJCAA national tournament), NJCAA All-Tournament, KJCCC MVP, KJCCC Setter of the Year, a twelve-time KJCCC Setter of the Week, named NJCAA Great Plains District A First Team All-District and KJCCC First Team All-Conference, was named to the Cowley Invitational All-Tournament.
"Rossana was a decorated setter that came back to our program after sitting out last season due to injury," Gream said. "She came back from her injury last spring and was determined to, not only chip off the rust of being off, but also to enhance her skills for another run at a national championship. Rossana served as a great leader on the court and was a determined player who brought great skill, a high volleyball IQ to see things before they happen, and she was like a third coach on the floor. She was already one of the top setters in the nation but her adjustments and additions made her one of the top players in the nation on one of the top offenses in the nation."
Bonomi also secures another impressive achievement to her impressive freshman season after ending the year with 495 kills at 3.87 kills per set, 400 digs at 3.13 digs per set, 62 aces, and a hitting percentage of .393. She finished fourth in the nation in hitting %, eleventh in total kills, thirteenth in kills per set, and thirteenth in total points (563.5). In the region, she was first in hitting %, second in total kills, third in total service aces, fourth in kills per set, eighth in service aces per set, and tenth in total digs. Her .393 hitting % places her ninth in Cowley history in hitting % in a season and her 495 kills rank her tenth in Cowley history in kills in a season.
Bonomi's latest addition to the accolades becomes her 8th individual award of the season. She was named Volleyballmag.com Player of the Year, named All-American by Volleyballmag.com, KJCCC Freshman of the Year, First team All-District, First team All-Conference, KJCCC Offensive Player of the Week four times, named to the Cowley Invitational All-Tournament team, and was named to the NJCAA National Tournament All-Tournament.
"Laura was an outside hitter that came in with a great amount of talent and adjusted very quickly to our offense and style of play. She has a great amount of confidence that translated to her fearlessness on the court as both a hitter and a back row defender. She hates to lose and brought that mentality to our team and play on the court." Gream said. "Her all-around skills provided great balance to our offense and anchored our defense and serve receive. On offense her powerful and consistent arm swing allowed her to keep defenses honest while her 'libero like' defensive skills allowed her to shut down opponents and provide a solid pass to our setters."
Papa and Bonomi's selections move the Lady Tiger's streak to seven-consecutive years of having a player named AVCA All-American. These selections give the program 14 players to be honored by the AVCA as All-American with a total of 17 AVCA All-American awards overall.