Ten United Volleyball Conference student-athletes earned 2023 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III All-America accolades, announced on Tuesday, April 18. Josh Bigford of St. John Fisher College, Andrew Kim, Jacob Kim and Gavin van Beveren of Vassar College in addition to Owen Wickens of Nazareth College garnered first team honors. Alberto Mauricio of Elmira College, Brendan Spulnick and Pat Wing of SUNY New Paltz and Seth Terzo of Nazareth earned second team accolades, while Griffin Stella of St. John Fisher was an honorable mention pick.
 
Four of the 10 student-athletes honored are repeat selections. Vassar was the lone Division III institution to have three First Team All-America selections, while four UVC teams (Nazareth, SUNY New Paltz, St. John Fisher and Vassar) had multiple All-America picks.
  
Bigford, who was also an All-American in 2020 (first team) 2021 (second team) and 2022 (first team) helped lead St. John Fisher to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. A native of Cicero, NY, Bigford garnered All-UVC honors for the fifth straight year. Bigford – Fisher's all-time leader in kills – recorded 324 kills, a .333 attack percentage, 102 digs, and 56 total blocks and 41 service aces this season. He leads all active players in Division III with 1,484 career kills. Bigford is one of only 15 players in Division III history to be a four-time AVCA All-American.
 
Andrew Kim, a native of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, also garnered First Team All-America honors in both 2021 and 2022. In addition, he was named both the UVC and AVCA All-North Region Player for the second time in 2023, as he enters the NCAA Semifinals for No. 1 Vassar ranked in the top-10 for Division III in hitting percentage, kills per set, and points per set. He also has a team-best 35 aces. Kim has at least 10 kills in a match 17 times this season, while hitting .411 while averaging 3.94 kills and 4.67 points per set.
 
Jacob Kim earns his first All-American selection as the junior setter was named Second Team All-UVC and AVCA All-North Region. The junior helped Vassar squad earn its first No. 1 AVCA Poll ranking in school history and was named Most Valuable Player of the 2023 UVC Championship Tournament. A native of Pleasanton, CA has handed out 740 assists and is fourth nationally in assists per set at 10.28. He's also led the Brewers' offense to a Division III-best .362 team hitting percentage.
 
A native of Alpharetta, GA, van Beveren also earned All-America accolades as a first team selection in 2020 and second team pick in 2022. The 2020 UVC and AVCA North Region Rookie of the Year., van Beveren is tied for second nationally in blocks per set at 1.193 and has helped the Brewers lead the nation in that team category. His hitting percentage of .530 is tops among all DIII players and likely will set a program record and is among the highest in UVC history.
 
Wickens, now a three-time All-UVC first team selection and two-time Empire 8 Player of the Year, enjoyed a tremendous 2023 season, slamming 417 kills which currently leads all of Division III. Wickens, a native of Rochester, NY, is fifth nationally, averaging 4.30 kills per set and also fifth with 5.12 points per set. Wickens also recorded 189 digs and 57 service aces to go along with 128 assists and 39 blocks. He also earned AVCA All-Region honors for the third straight season.
 
The 2022 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and 2023 United Volleyball Conference first team selection, Maurcio was instrumental in helping the Soaring Eagles earn back-to-back UVC Tournament berths for the first time in program history. A native of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Mauricio led the UVC and finished second nationally in kills per set (4.92) and third in the country in points per set (5.47). In addition to his outstanding attacking numbers, Mauricio ranked sixth in the UVC this season in digs per set (2.08) and seventh in service aces per set (0.37).
 
Spulnick, an outside hitter from Clifton Park, NY, garnered his first All-America honor this season. Most recently, he earned AVCA All-Region honors, was named to the UVC All-Tournament team and garnered All-UVC second team plaudits. Spulnick became the team's new service aces leader this season and concludes his Hawks career with 204 total aces, five more than any other player in program history. He finished 2023 with 269 kills, second most on the team, averaging 3.02 kills per set while hitting a career-best .336 with 17 assists, 131 digs, 34 blocks and 63 aces with the latter tied for fourth most in single-season program history.
 
Terzo’s outstanding defensive skills allowed him to be the lone libero to earn All-American honors. A native of Fairport, NY, Terzo, the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year and All-AVCA North Region pick is in the top 25 nationally for total digs, and he only had 11 receiving errors in 97 sets played during the 2023 season.

Wing, playing at opposite after two seasons at middle blocker, earned his second straight All-American honor. Earlier in the month, the Massapequa, NY native earned All-UVC first team accolades while garnering another All-Region nod. He reached double digits in kills in all but three of the Hawks' matches and had five matches with 20 or more kills. He ranks seventh national in kills per set and is ninth in points per set. Wing continued a prolific Hawks career by leading his team in kills (379), kills per set (3.99), points (439.5) and points per set (4.63), while hitting .286 with 34 aces, 127 digs and 45 blocks.
 
Stella appeared in 88 sets across 26 matches and was second on the team with 213.5 total points, with 161 kills (no. 3 on the team). Stella led the team in blocks with eight solo blocks, 83 block assists for a total of 91.0. Stella finished second in the UVC with a .441 hitting percentage and led in total blocks. Stella was previously named an All-AVCA North Region selection, All-UVC second team and Empire 8 All-Conference first team pick.
 
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The members of the United Volleyball Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. For more on the UVC visit www.theuvc.org.