Volleyball | 11/29/2023 3:52:00 PM

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 29, 2023) – For the first time since 2018, a Texas Woman's volleyball player has been named to an AVCA Division II All-Region list.

Kaia Saylor, a senior outside hitter, was selected to the 2023 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-South Central Region Honorable Mention list.

Saylor marks the first Pioneer in five years to receive this honor. Following the regular season, Saylor also received All-Lone Star Conference First Team honors.

"We are tremendously proud of Kaia for earning All-Region Honorable Mention this season," TWU Head Volleyball Coach Jeff Huebner said. "She has truly been a Pioneer through and through, fighting to improve, stay healthy and build relationships over the past four years. It is fantastic for her to be named among the top players in the region!"

Saylor capped off her storied career as a Pioneer this year with an impressive senior campaign. She closed the regular season with a .354 hitting percentage, which ranked third in the LSC. She finished the season with a .337 hitting percentage – the highest season hitting percentage of her career.

Dominating on offense, Saylor finished the year with 263 kills, also marking a season career high. Across 87 sets played, she averaged 2.99 kills per set and 3.28 points per set.

On Nov. 7, Saylor was named the LSC Offensive Player of the Week, as she led the Pioneers to a 2-0 week. Across both wins, she recorded 41 kills, hit .449 and averaged 4.56 kills per set. Saylor hit a season high 25 kills in the Pioneers' win over Texas A&M - Kingsville on Nov. 4 to lead to this honor. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Saylor closed her senior season with 45 total blocks – a career high – and 73 total digs.

Saylor helped lead the Pioneers to a historic 2023 seaosn, as they finished with their most wins since 2018, most LSC wins since 2019 and first time back in the South Central Regional Rankings since 2015. 

She closed her career at TWU with 634 total kills, two All-LSC honors and one All-Region honor. Saylor becomes the 18th Pioneer in program history to be named to an AVCA All-Region list.

For the AVCA All-Region awards, each of the eight regions had 14 All-Region first team honorees and six honorable mention selections. A Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year were also chosen for each region.

In the South Central Region, comprised of LSC and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) programs, Delaney Fuller from Dallas Baptist was named the Region Player of the Year, Shaye Koski from UT Tyler was chosen as the Freshman of the Year and Joel List from Regis was honored as the Region Coach of the Year.

Of the 14 First Team honorees, six were from the LSC and eight were from the RMAC. Among the six honorable mention awards, three players were from the LSC and three were from the RMAC.