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BOSTON, Mass. – Three members of the University of Delaware volleyball team garnered top individual accolades, while two other Blue Hens were also honored during the annual Colonial Athletic Association awards banquet at the Alumni Center on the campus of Northeastern University.

Junior libero Stephanie Barry was named the conference Defensive Specialist of the Year, while freshman outside hitter Kim Stewart was selected as the Rookie of the Year. Head coach Bonnie Kenny rounded out the top individual award-winners, earning Co-Coach of the Year honors along with Northeastern’s Ken Nichols.

Katie Dennehy was named to the second-team All-CAA squad as well, while Elena Delle Donne was selected to the All-Rookie team. Along with their individual awards, Barry was also a first-team All-Conference pick, and Stewart earned third-team honors as well as a place on the All-Rookie team.

Barry (Long Beach, Calif. / Wilson) earned Defensive Specialist of the Year honors for the second straight season, becoming only the third player in conference history to win the award twice. She finished the regular season as the league leader in digs with 602, while her 5.38 digs-per-set average also ranks first in the conference and 10th in the nation.

The only player in the CAA to earn first-team honors during each of the past two seasons, she posted at least 25 digs in seven matches this year, including a season-best 34 against William & Mary on October 3. The 2008 Preseason Player of the Year, Barry currently ranks third all-time in career digs at Delaware with 1,672.

Stewart (Kentwood, Mich. / East Kentwood), the first Blue Hen to earn Rookie of the Year honors, finished the regular season ranked second on the team with 295 digs and 242 kills. After winning a school-record five Rookie of the Week honors, she also stands third on the squad with 29 aces.

The only freshman in the conference to earn a spot on one of the three All-CAA teams, she leads all first-year players in kills, digs, and aces. Stewart has also posted seven double-doubles during the year, marking the most by a Blue Hen freshman since Kelly Gibson had 15 in 2005.

After also winning Coach of the Year honors last season, Kenny is the first person to earn the award in back-to-back seasons since George Mason’s Pat Kendrick won in 2001-02. Overall, it is her third such honor in the CAA after also winning in 2004.

Following the graduation of last year’s Conference Player and Setter of the Year and a season-ending injury to Preseason All-CAA selection Kelly Gibson, Kenny kept the Blue Hens in the thick of the conference race throughout the year. Eventually, she led a team with 11 underclassmen to a 9-5 record in CAA action and the No. 3 seed in this weekend's league tournament.

Dennehy (Charlotte, N.C. / Providence) earned second-team honors after finishing the regular season ranked fifth in the conference with a 3.12 kills-per-set average. She also stands fourth in the CAA in both aces- and points-per-set.

An All-Rookie selection last year, she is the only player in the conference to earn at least second-team nods this season after being named one of the top freshmen in 2007. She currently leads Delaware with 349 kills and 34 aces, while she ranks third with 45 blocks and fourth with 234 digs.

Delle Donne (Wilmington, Del. / Ursuline) earned All-Rookie honors after leading all CAA freshmen with 99 blocks while ranking second with 196 kills entering the tournament. A three-time Rookie of the Week selection, she finished the regular season with the second-best hitting percentage on the team after posting a .222 mark.

She recorded at least one block in 27 straight matches, marking the longest streak by a Blue Hen since Michelle LaLonde had one in 33 consecutive bouts from 2006-07. DelleDonne also has posted a 1.04 blocks-per-set average in conference matches, which is the fifth-best mark among all players in the CAA.

With the two freshman selections, Delaware placed multiple players on the All-Rookie squad for just the third time in program history.

Along with the five Blue Hens, the CAA also honored Northeastern’s Lauren DeTurk as the Player of the Year and William & Mary’s Kim Mount as the league’s top setter. Delaware led the conference with five honorees, while Virginia Commonwealth had four award-winners.

AGATE:

First-Team All-CAA
Steph Barry, Delaware; Britney Brown, Northeastern; Lauren DeTurk, Northeastern; Kim Mount, William & Mary; Ivana Rich, VCU; Erin Skipper, William & Mary.

Second-Team All-CAA
Harmonie Calinda, Hofstra; Valeria Chromy, Towson; Katie Dennehy, Delaware; Lauren Miles, James Madison; Elisa Kuehnel, VCU; Rebecca Walter, George Mason.

Third-Team All-CAA
Ginny Bray, William & Mary; Lauren Engle, Hofstra; Maddie Haseltine, Towson; Ashley Jones, Georgia State; Ashley Legerretta, Hofstra; Jessica Ojukwu, VCU; Kim Stewart, Delaware.

2008 CAA Player of the Year: Lauren DeTurk, Northeastern
2008 CAA Setter of the Year: Kim Mount, William & Mary
2008 CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year: Stephanie Barry, Delaware
2008 CAA Rookie of the Year: Kim Stewart, Delaware
2008 CAA Co-Coaches of the Year: Bonnie Kenny, Delaware; Ken Nichols, Northeastern

All-Rookie Team
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware; Noelle Fanella, George Mason; Susan Gansor, Towson; Marketa Janeckova, VCU; Kim Stewart, Delaware; Kelly Turner, James Madison.