NEWTOWN, Pa.– The Middle Atlantic Conference Office today released all-conference lists and special awards for Women's Volleyball. The MAC Commonwealth Champion Eastern University Eagles had six players receive recognition from league coaches. Elle Jiron-Bujanda, Grace Casagrande, and Logan Martin earned First-Team All-MAC Commonwealth Honors and Hannah Pringle and Bridgette Kelly were named to the Second Team. Jiron-Bujanda was named Co-Player of the Year, Casagrande was the Defensive Player of the Year, and Head Coach Mark Birtwistle was named MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year for the first time.

Jiron-Bujanda, Eastern's only six-rotation player, led the league in assists and helped the Eastern offense to  a league-best .253 hitting percentage.  The 2022 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American repeats as Player of the Year. With her leading, the Eastern offense is ranked 12th nationally in hitting percentage, and the Eagles won all nine contests against MAC Commonwealth opponents.

She has 39 aces, 25 blocks, and 222 digs. As important, at 27-3, the Eagles have posted their best season record since the 2011 team reached the Final Four. Jiron-Bujanda earned Honorable Mention recognition in 2021. Stevenson's Darian Dildy leads the nation in hitting percentage and shares the Player of the Year honor.

Casagrande repeats as Defensive Player of the Year. Eastern's senior Libero has played a key role in serve receive and in holding opponents to a league-low .100. She recorded double-digit kills in 29-of-30 matches this year. Her 558 digs is the most by an Eastern player since Rylie Haas posted 653 in Eastern's run to the National Quarterfinals in 2016. Casagrande has 42 aces and is second on the Eagles with 113 assists.

Martin had 406 kills as an outside hitter in 2021, but she moved to the middle late last season. The junior has been a dynamic offensive presence all season. She is ninth nationally in hitting percentage (.386) and is second on the Eagles with 2.75 kills per set. She hit .500 or better in 13 matches this fall.

Martin can alter the game with net presence on defense, she is currently at 76 blocks. Her speed and reach helps create soft contact and transition opportunities.

Kelly, the 2021 MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year and 2023 MAC Commonwealth Tournament MVP was an AVCA  Honorable Mention All-American in each of her first two seasons. With her ability to serve and control play at the net, Kelly can dominate stretches of a game without getting a lot of attacking opportunities.

This year, all of Kelly's significant numbers are either the same or slightly better. With one more block, she will reach 100 for the first time in har career, and she has developed the ability to extend her service points with solid back row play. For the year, she has 51 aces and only 22 serving errors.

Pringle, a sophomore outside hitter,  makes a second appearance on the Second Team. The 2022 MAC Commonwealth Rookie of the Year pounded out a league-best 358 kills and increased her hitting percentage to an outstanding .281, which was tops among outside hitters in the league.

The sophomore had big games in big moments. She posted a career-bet 27 kills in Eastern's five-set regular-season win at Stevenson and pounded a match-best 17 kills in Saturday's MAC Commonwealth Championship Match.

The Coach of the Year Honor is the eighth for Birtwistle since Eastern joined the MAC in 2008, but it is the first MAC Commonwealth Honor for the veteran leader. Birtwistle reached 800 career wins in the 2022 MAC Commonwealth Championship Match. The Eagles started the season at 2-2 and have won 25-of-26 matches since. Birtwistle's teams have reached won 24 Conference Championships in the last 26 seasons and will be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time in the last 24 seasons.

He was MAC Freedom Coach of the Year in 2008,2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016. His 2011 team went 36-3 and ended its season in the Final Four. The 2013 team went 32-5 and reached the Elite Eight.

The Eagles will learn their NCAA Tournament destination and schedule when the brackets are released on NCAA.com today.