MELBOURNE, Fla. – It has been the most successful season in the history of Lynn volleyball. They won their first conference title, set a new record for longest winning streak and won more matches in one season than any team before them. Those accomplishments led head coach Adam Milewski to be named Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year in addition to Marine Kinna and Sonja Udovcic being named first-team all-conference. Not to be outdone, Victoria Macaluso was named to the all-newcomer team following her first season as a Fighting Knight.
Kinna a junior from Guethary, France, inched out Udovcic for the team lead for kills this season. Her total of 419 was good for second in the conference and was 306 more than she posted during her sophomore campaign. Four times she had over 20 kills in a match topped by her 27 in a win over Embry-Riddle that clinched the Fighting Knights solo conference championship. On 18 different occasions she had a match with at least 10 kills and 10 digs.
Udovcic, also a junior, from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina improved her play this season, as well. Her sophomore season saw her on the all-SSC second team, but thanks to 407 kills and team-high 416 digs, she was moved up to the first team. Her biggest statistical night came in that same match vs. the Eagles. She had a season-high 24 kills and added 25 digs. Six times this season she had over 20 digs in a match. Udovcic had a double-double in 26 of Lynn’s 31 matches.
It took longer than expected to get Macaluso on the floor in the Blue and White, but it was worth the wait for the sophomore from Lone Tree, Colo. In her first season she posted 277 kills, which was good for third on the team. She hit a team-high .354 to go along with her play in the middle where she blocked a total 58 balls. Twelve different times this season she had over 10 kills in a match highlighted by her 15 against Rollins.
Milewski is the eighth coach in program history and became the first to be named coach of the year. The 27 wins this season are the most in a single season and they closed the regular season on a program-record 14-match winning streak. Lynn enters the NCAA Tournament for the first since 2016 and is hosting a regional for the first time.
About the Fighting Knights
Lynn University’s national champion Fighting Knights compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, softball, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball. The university’s 19 intercollegiate teams are home to nearly 300 student-athletes. Lynn is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II institution and winner of 25 national championships and 45 Sunshine State Conference titles. Representing spirit, service and strength, the Fighting Knights strive for greatness through athletic performance and academic excellence. For more information, visit: lynnfightingknights.com.