DALLAS – Conference USA has 12 players, representing six schools, on the 2021 American Volleyball Coaches Association DI All-Region List, the organization announced Tuesday.
 
In the South Region, Conference champion WKU was represented by Lauren Matthews, Nadia Dieudonne, Kayland Jackson, Paige Briggs and Katie Isenberger as well as Charlotte’s Sydney Rowan and UAB’s Fernanda Maida. The Southwest region consisted of members from three different schools, including Rice, North Texas and UTEP. Rice was represented by Carly Graham, Anota Adekunle and Nicole Lennon, while Rhett Robinson from North Texas and UTEP’s Serena Patterson rounded out the list.
 
WKU’s Matthews earned South Region Player of the Year honors. Matthews, also took home the 2021 Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year award and was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year. She finished the season with a total of 440 kills, a .480 hitting percentage, 519 points and 123 total blocks.  Dieudonne, a fifth – year setter, was a part of the conference all-tournament team and finished the season with 1,114 assists, 100 points and a 173 digs for the Hilltoppers. She was also named First-Team All-Conference USA. Briggs, a junior outside hitter, joined both Matthews and Dieudonne on the Conference USA’S first team, as well as the all-tournament team and finished the season with 342.5 points, 267 digs and 290 kills. Jackson joined her teammates on the all-tournament team, and was also the All-Conference Second- Team. She finished the season with 226 kills, 258 points and 63 total blocks. Isenberger rounds out the Hilltoppers’ portion of the All-Region list as an honorable mention selection. She finished the season as an All-Academic Team honoree with 160 kills, a .385 hitting percentage and 231 points.
 
Rowan concluded her career with the 49ers with her sixth All-Region honor, adding to her accolades, which include 2021 first-team all-conference honors, as well as being a three-time all-academic honoree. This season she has appeared in all 25 matches and became the eighth player in program history to eclipse 1,000 kills (1,554) and 1,000 digs (1,214).
 
UAB's Maida, a redshirt junior, received both All-Region and first-team all-conference honors in the last two seasons. A native of Bolivia, Maida finished the season with 369 kills, 154 digs, 407.5 points and is ranked sixth nationally in kills per set (4.99).

This marks the second-straight year that Rice’s Graham, Adekunle and Lennon were all part of the AVCA Southwest All-Region Team. Graham captured C-USA Setter of the Year Honors for the second-consecutive season. Graham ranks 14th in the NCAA in assists per set, and fifth in the country in kills. While, Lennon became the first Owl in program history to become a four-time Southwest All-Region Team honoree after also becoming a four-time C-USA First Team selection. She also became Rice’s program leader in career kills (2144) and she ranks 20th in the NCAA in kills per set (4.44). Lennon also ranks 10th among C-USA players with a .338 hitting percentage during conference play. Lastly, Adekunle, a three-time C-USA first-teamer earned her third-consecutive selection to the All-Region team. She led the Owls with 97 total blocks and in blocks per set with 1.09, which is a career-best.
 
Robinson adds Southwest All-Region Team honors to her list of AVCA awards, as she was the first player to be named as the AVCA National Player of the Week in North Texas program history. Robinson is also a first-team all-conference selection for the third time (2019 and 2020). She finished with 459 kills, 57 total blocks, 516 points and 179 digs.
 
UTEP’s Patterson earns Southwest All-Region Team honors for the first time. She was a second-team all-conference honoree in 2020 and made the first-team this fall. Patterson has 338 kills, 387.5 points and 214 total blocks on the season. The Miners will host their first postseason match Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. CT against Weber State in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in the Elite Eight.