MELBOURNE, Fla. – Barry University volleyball player Tashalyn Begon was named Second-Team All-Sunshine State Conference Tuesday.
“Well deserved,” Buccaneers fourth-year coach Steve Hendricks said.
Begon, a junior outside hitter from Pembroke Pines, Fla., pounded a team-high 285 kills. Her 3.06 kills per set ranked fourth in the SSC.
“She’s a very good athlete, and has the ability to dominate in matches, so I’m glad she was recognized for that,” Hendricks said. “She was smart last spring, getting her body to heal up in her shin. She worked really hard this fall, coming in and working on her approach, the transition speed and getting outside to hit balls, and got better at seeing the blocks so it’s a credit to her for her work ethic. So I’m proud for her and happy for her that she was recognized.”
One of Hendricks’ original recruits, Begon was first on the team in points (319.5), third in blocks (36), tied for fourth in digs (163) and tied for fifth in aces (14). She banged down double-digit kills in 15 matches with a career-high 20 while hitting .425 in a five-set loss to Rollins on Sept. 20. Begon hit a career-best .556, putting away 10 balls with no errors in a sweep of Christian Brothers at the South Region Crossover. She hit .533 and had nine kills while playing in two sets in a sweep at East Stroudsburg in the East Stroudsburg Invitational.
Begon was also named to the Palm Beach Atlantic Hyatt Place Classic All-Tournament Team this season.
“What stands out is her ability to take our coaching, especially what (assistant) Katie (McCrath) has talked to her about, about getting the ball high at the top of her jump because she’s a great leaper, and just swinging double-arm lift and swinging straight through the ball and finding the floor. She got a lot of crucial kills at good times, and she has that ability.
“She’s one of our foundation recruits. I’m glad that she’s been in the program for three years and will be one of our graduating seniors next year, as she’s helped elevate this program back into the rankings in our region, and hopefully we can go a little bit further with her next year.”
2014 ALL-SUNSHINE STATE CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL
First Team
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
OH Berkley Whaley Tampa Jr. St. Petersburg, Fla.
S Ali Skayhan Florida Southern Sr. Beaverton, Ore.
M Jessica Wagner Tampa Jr. Cape Coral, Fla.
RS Alexa Griffith-Hardy Saint Leo Sr. Windsor, Colo.
S Kahley Patrick Tampa Sr. Clearwater, Fla.
RS Marissa Lisenbee Tampa Jr. Seminole, Fla.
OH Kate Stromberg Florida Southern Sr. Lexington, Ky.
L Yadimar Santiago Saint Leo Sr. Cataño, Puerto Rico
Second Team
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
L Catherine Brusie Florida Southern Sr. North Branch, Mich.
M Kayshia Brady Florida Southern Jr. Welaka, Fla.
M Meagan Burke Tampa Sr. Jacksonville, Fla.
RS Elyse Fleck Lynn Sr. Tigard, Ore.
MB Jessica Wilson Rollins Sr. Winter Haven, Fla.
OH Tashalyn Begon Barry Jr. Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Opp Sydney Cook Nova Southeastern Jr. Miami, Fla.
OH Ali McAlvany Eckerd Sr. Roswell, Ga.
Newcomer Team
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
OH/RS Shannon McDonough Rollins Fr. Orlando, Fla.
RS Lauryn Nelson Eckerd Fr. Tampa, Fla.
OH Bri Civiero Rollins Fr. Mount Dora, Fla.
OH Anna Tovo Florida Southern Fr. Aiken, S.C.
MB Lydia West Lynn R-Fr. Port St. Lucie, Fla.
L Kaitlyn Sibson Eckerd Fr. Tampa, Fla.
Honorable Mention
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
L Collyn Welsch Rollins Sr. Gainesville, Fla.
Player of the Year: Berkley Whaley, Tampa
Freshman of the Year: Shannon McDonough, Rollins
Newcomer of the Year: Shannon McDonough, Rollins
Coach of the Year: Chris Catanach, Tampa