AVCA All-America Team
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Six Centennial Conference volleyball players have been named to the 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America team. Johns Hopkins' Simone Adam and Helena Swaak led the way as repeat selections while Franklin & Marshall's Ceci Connolly, Gettysburg's Mary Huegel, Haverford's Elizabeth Cella and Swarthmore's Melissa Eyer received All-America recognition for the first time.
Adam repeated as a first team pick and earned the third All-America nod of her career, as she was also an honorable mention choice as a freshman in 2022. Adam is just the second player in Centennial history to be named to the first team twice, joining former JHU standout Natalie Aston in that elite club. She is also just the third player in CC history to be named an AVCA All-American three times along with Aston and JHU's Louisa Kishton. Swaak was named to the second team after previously earning third team accolades in 2023. Connolly, Huegel, Cella and Eyer were honorable mention picks.
JHU's Adam, who was also named Centennial Conference and AVCA Regional Player of the Year, earned her second AVCA First Team All-America selection and her third career All-America honor. The senior outside hitter led the Blue Jays with 3.58 kills per set and 380 total kills, hitting .316 on the season. She also contributed 27 aces, 293 digs (2.76 per set) and 59 blocks, including 11 solo. Adam posted double-digit kills in 23 matches this season and ranks second in program history with 1,482 career kills.
JHU's Swaak, who previously earned AVCA Third Team honors in 2023, earned her first career AVCA Second Team selection. The setter finished the season with 653 assists, leading the Centennial Conference, and averaged 5.78 assists per set. In addition to her playmaking, she posted 214 kills, a team-leading 45 service aces, 357 digs (3.16 per set) and 68 blocks across 113 sets played.
F&M's Connolly is a first-time All-American after earning first-team selections to the AVCA All-Region 5 team and All-Centennial Conference team. She is the eighth Diplomat to be named an All-American. Connolly ended the season ranked fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.313), sixth in kills per set (3.21), and seventh in points per set (3.56), playing a key role in the Centennial Conference's second-most efficient attack (.229 team hitting percentage). She had 17 matches with ten-plus kills including a career-best 21 kills in October's five-set win over Gettysburg.
Gettysburg's Huegel, a middle blocker, started all 26 matches in which she played and led the team with 104 total blocks. She recorded five or more blocks in eight matches and had at last one in 24 matches. She recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 10 total blocks in a 3-2 win over Dickinson on Oct. 15. She also contributed 180 kills and 28 aces. She is just the third player in program history to be named to the All-Centennial first team at least three times and first since Shannan Smith was the first-team setter in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Haverford's Cella becomes the first All-American for the Fords since Taylor Jones in 2022, and the 13th in program history. She was one of just 11 first-year student-athletes to earn All-America honors. Cella adds the regional honors to last week's AVCA All-Region 5 first team honors and the Centennial Conference postseason awards release in which she was named All-Centennial Conference first team as well as the CC's Rookie of the Year. The Atlanta, Ga. product turned in one of the Centennial Conference's most productive first-year campaigns in recent memory, ranking third in the league in total points (414), third in points per set (3.94), third in total kills (361), and fifth in kills per set (3.44). A consistent presence for the Fords in 2025, Cella delivered double-digit kills in 21 matches.
Swarthmore's Eyer earned All-America recognition for the first time in her career and became the fifth individual in program history to garner the honor. She is the first Swarthmore player to be tabbed an All-American since Kaylee Zhang in 2022. The sophomore was named to the All-Region First Team after ranking third in the region in digs per set (4.91) and fourth in total digs (516). Eyer was named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row after leading the conference in both categories. A two-time All-Centennial First Team honoree, she is the fifth player in program history to record 500-plus digs in a single season.
