BEVERLY, Mass. – Suffolk volleyball's Kenzley Bell and McKenna Keowen received all-region accolades from the New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) for their efforts in the 2021 campaign. Both the junior and freshman received an honorable mention nod with the rookie also receiving a spot on the honorable mention all-rookie team.
The NEWVA Annual Award recipients are nominated by and voted on by the organization's member head coaches.
Bell and Keowen are two of nine student-athletes from the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) to receive the recognition as Endicott saw a quartet of Gulls honored and Gordon saw a trio take home the distinction.
The pair of Rams are the most Suffolk honorees by the NEWVA in a single-season in program history as Harmony Johnson was the first regional recipient in program history with a spot on the NEWVA All-Rookie Team in 2019. Bell and Keowen, both NEWVA first-team honorees the regional organization.
Both Bell and Keowen were instrumental in Suffolk's first CCC campaign in which the blue-and-gold compiled a 3-6 league ledger to earn the seventh seed in the 2021 conference tournament. They represented the Rams on the All-CCC team. The latter received a spot on the first-team, while the former garnered a third-team nod.
Keowen, a San Ramon, California, native led the league in kills with 342 to her credit behind a .209 connection rate. The outside hitter logged a team-best 3.49 kills per set to go along with 2.42 digs per set, which ranked second on the squad. She was an ace at the service line as well with 0.36 aces per set. Keowen hit the double-double mark nine times on the year and collected a program-record six weekly honors from the CCC broken down into one player of the week and a record-setting five rookie of the week accolades.
Bell was the backbone to Suffolk's defense. The Lake Park, Georgia junior captain racked up 319 digs to average a team-best 3.94 digs per set, good for sixth in the CCC.
NEWVA TEAM AWARDS
FIRST TEAM
S - Emily Cheng, MIT
S - Sara Labadorf, S, Springfield
OPP- Jennelle Yarwood, OPP, Tufts
OPP - Laura Zuloaga, OPP, Babson
OH - Cate Desler, OH, Tufts
OH - Jamie Dailey, OH, Amherst
OH - Amanda Dake, OH, Coast Guard
OH - Maggie Wise, Middlebury
MB - Camryn Bancroft, Springfield
MB - Cori Gray, Bowdoin
MB - Colleen McAvoy, Endicott
MB - Brina Kuslak, Wesleyan
L - Ottavia Personeni, MIT
L - Jenna Otaola, Wesleyan
SECOND TEAM
S - Noelle Tursky, Coast Guard
S - Ella Haugen, Bowdoin
OPP - Caroline Tilton, Amherst
OPP - Allison Brattley, MIT
OH - Amanda Gilbert, Endicott
OH - Nicole Doerges, Wellesley
OH - Riley Donahue, Endicott
OH - Natalie Billet, Springfield
MB - Marit Hoyem, Williams
MB - Annie Bryan, MIT
MB - Lauren MacDonald, Babson
MB - Corley Doyle, Middlebury
L - Maddie Malee, Babson
L - Caroline Davis, Emerson
THIRD TEAM
S - Carly Cooper, Amherst
S - Gabbie O'Toole, Middlebury
OPP - Abby Sweeney, Smith
OPP - Celia Adams, Williams
OH - Sophia Pahl, Bowdoin
OH - Allie Puccio, Babson
OH - Katherine Pickard, Roger Williams
OH - Lydia Kurtz, Williams
MB - Anna Barry, Eastern Conn. St.
MB - Sophie Launsbach, Amherst
MB - Jennifer Ryan, Tufts
MB - Marcelle Tiscareno, UMass Boston
L - Stephanie Lee, Tufts
L - Gabby Beckman, Smith
HONORABLE MENTION *
S - Ruth Aguilar, Eastern Nazarene
S - Kate Porter, Roger Williams
OPP - Allie Welch, Roger Williams
OPP - Bailey Madrzyk, Wheaton
OPP - Annie Murphy, Gordon
OH - McKenna Keowen, Suffolk
OH - Eliana Baran, Eastern Nazarene
OH - Amelia Combs, Emerson
OH - Sophia Galdamez, Coast Guard
OH - Abby Stern, Eastern Conn. St.
OH - Nicole Karabaich, Salve Regina
OH - Kristen Dansereau, Roger Williams
MB - Valerie Nilan, Gordon
MB - Mariko Tanaka, Wesleyan (Conn.)
MB - Grace Legris, Tufts
MB - Tori Melanson, Roger Williams
MB - Ava Zollinger, Smith
MB - Jasmine Babbitt, Roger Williams
MB - Kinsey Cronin, Smith
MB - Emma Graves, Eastern Nazarene
L - Marissa Plaza, Plymouth St.
L - Jaime Gaffga, Roger Williams
L - Kenzley Bell, Suffolk
L - Kate Murphy, Salve Regina
L - Sophie Wilhelm, Wheaton (Mass.)
L - Paula Perez, Eastern Conn. St.
NEWVA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Ottavia Personeni, MIT
Riley Donahue, Endicott
Maddie Yu, Tufts
Maya Lopansri, Wesleyan
Ella Gragg, MIT
Natalie Billet, Springfield
Marit Hoyem, Williams
Peyton Oliver, Johnson & Wales
Maya White, Bowdoin
Gabbie O'Toole, Middlebury
Kelly Ferrero, Middlebury
Claire Conners, Simmons
NEWVA ALL-ROOKIE HONORABLE MENTION
Eliana Baran, Eastern Nazarene
Lilli Stogner, Plymouth St.
Amelia Combs, Emerson
Kinsey Cronin, Smith
Celia Adams, Williams
Rileigh Farragher, Tufts
Caroline Davis, Emerson
Abby Sweeney, Smith
McKenna Keowen, Suffolk
Kylie Wixted, Springfield
Annie Murphy, Gordon
Sydney Smith, Wesleyan
Tatum Stelter, Babson
Carly Cooper, Amherst
Emma Graves, Eastern Nazarene
Jasmine Babbitt, Roger Williams
Lizzie Papalia, Amherst
Olivia Smith, Smith
Fiona Hegarty, Smith
Kaela France, Coast Guard
Kyra Hissner, Johnson & Wales
Kate Montigny, Regis
Audra Fontes, Colby Sawyer
Ally Dean, UMass Boston
* To receive honorable mention honors, student-athletes much appear on more than one voting ballot