Lizzy Counts became part of an exclusive group of Colorado College volleyball players by earning first-team All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association for the recently completed 2017 season.
 
Junior right side hitter Aria Dudley and sophomore outside hitter Jordan Mullen were named honorable-mention All-Americans.
 
In the 39-year history of the program, Counts and Cathy Costello are the only Tigers to be named to the AVCA's first team as sophomores.
 
Costello, CC's only four-time All-American, was a second-team selection during her freshman season in 1986 and went on to earn first-team certificates in each of her final three seasons.
 
Counts and Costello are two of the eight Colorado College student-athletes who have earned first-team All-America honors. The other six are Elissa Breitbard (1987), Amy Smith (1987), Sara Boyles (2001), Emily Perkins (2009, '10), Abbe Holtze (2013, '15, '16) and Courtney Birkett (2015).
 
"Being an All American is a great honor and Lizzy definitely deserves it," head coach Rick Swan said. "Not only is she a great teammate, Lizzy is the consummate competitor who always plays her best when the match is on the line. She has worked hard all year and has done so much for her team."
 
Counts led the Tigers to a 33-2 record, the SCAC regular-season and tournament championships, as well as the program's 20th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship.
 
This season, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year led the conference averaging 10.19 assists per game and was fourth with 54 service aces and an average of 0.45 aces per game.
 
Counts also ranked third on the team with a .290 hitting percentage and 276 digs, and was fifth with 42 total blocks.
 
The Oakland, Calif., native also guided Colorado College to a .259 team hitting percentage, which led the SCAC and ranked fourth nationally.
 
After just two seasons, Counts is fifth on the program's career list with 2,120 assists. This year, she finished with a personal high of 1,223 assists, which ranks third on the program's single-season chart.
 
Dudley was a first-team all-region and all-conference selection, and the only player to receive the SCAC's offensive (twice) and defensive player-of-the-week awards this season. She rebounded from an injury-plagued sophomore season to rank second on the team with a .313 hitting percentage and 278 kills, and third with 304.5 points.
 
The product of Santa Ana, Calif., was named the AVCA's Division III national player of the week on Oct. 24 after leading CC to a 4-0 record in SCAC cross-divisional play, including victories over No. 3 Southwestern University and No. 5 Trinity University.
 
"The way Aria battled back from her injuries is a testament to her drive and determination to succeed," Swan said. "Her performances against Southwestern and Trinity were a major factor in why we were able to win the conference's regular-season and tournament championships."
 
Mullen also was a first-team all-region pick. She was named MVP of the conference championship after hitting .424 with 15 kills on 33 attacks with only one error as CC rallied for a 22-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-13 victory over No. 5-ranked Trinity University in the tournament finale.
 
A native of parker, Colo., Mullen led the Tigers and ranked fourth in the SCAC averaging 3.25 kills per set. She recorded double-digit kills 17 times, including seven of eight matches against nationally-ranked opponents. Mullen finished first on the team with 311 kills and 362.5 points, and fifth with 188 digs, all of which are single-season highs.
 
"Ask any coach who saw Jordan play at full strength and they will tell you she deserved to be a first-team All-American," Swan said. "Jordan would be the go-to hitter for any team in the country and we're certainly thrilled she plays for us."
 
With its 33-2 record, Colorado College set the program's single-season record with a .943 winning percentage.
 
CC finished the year with a 7-1 record against nationally-ranked opponents, which included a sweep of Calvin College at the Elmhurst Invitational on Sept. 16, which was the program's first-ever victory over an opponent ranked No. 1 at the time of the match.
 
The Tigers also posted a 13-1 record against regionally-ranked opponents. Colorado College defeated three ranked opponents from the Midwest and North regions, two of which were nationally ranked, at Elmhurst.
 
On Oct. 31, CC was ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Division III Coaches Poll for the first time in program history and also became the first SCAC program to hold the nation's top ranking.