Edinboro's Jenna Newman and West Chester's Kristen Decker have been named the 2007 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Athletes of the Year for women's volleyball.  Voting for the postseason accolades is conducted among the league's coaches.

Rounding out the Western Division awards were Katie Wilkins of Edinboro, who was named the Rookie of the Year, and California's Melissa Myers, who claimed the Coach of the Year.  West Chester swept the player awards, with Kristen Decker earning Athlete of the Year and Michelle Powers named Rookie of the Year in the East while Shippensburg head coach Leanne Piscotty was named Coach of the Year by her peers.

Newman, a senior middle hitter from Las Vegas (Coronado HS), led her Edinboro squad back to the PSAC Championship tournament after a one-year hiatus.  The Fighting Scots own a 26-10 overall record while finishing 6-3 in the PSAC West.  Newman's strong play has helped Edinboro earn a trip to the NCAA II Atlantic Region Championship this weekend as the No. 3 seed.  The Fighting Scots will take on No. 6 Slippery Rock in the first round.  Newman currently ranks second in career kills for the Fighting Scots (1,850) and needs 57 to become the all-time leader.  She leads the league in 4.41 kills per game while her .323 hitting percentage ranks second in the league.  Newman Edinboro's first Athlete of the Year since 2003 when the league honored Ashley Walton.

An outside hitter from Douglassville (Daniel Boone HS), Decker guided West Chester to an overall record of 28-10, tying the school record for season victories, and posted a 6-4 mark in the PSAC East.  The senior played an integral part in helping the Golden Rams reach the postseason for the third consecutive season and is the school's all-time leader in digs.  Her 552 digs this year also established a new career-high for Decker.  She ranks in the conference's top 10 in three categories, including kills per game (3.93 - 5th), hitting percentage (.285 - 7th) and digs per game (4.35 - 7th).  Decker was also honored as the Eastern Division's Rookie of the Year in 2004 and is the first Golden Ram to be honored as Athlete of the Year since Greta Neff in 2002.

A freshman setter from Elkart, Ind. (Elkart Memorial), Wilkins needs just to 12 assists to break the Edinboro single-season record (1,647).  The rookie's 12.47 assists per game are tied for second in the conference while ranking fourth on her squad in digs (1.70) and fifth in kills (1.16).  Wilkins is the second-straight Fighting Scot to be honored as Rookie of the Year after Olivia Williams earned the honor last season.  The two are the first Edinboro players to be honored with the award since Ashley Walton and Renee Kam won back-to-back awards in 2000 and 2001, respectively.

Powers, a freshman middle hitter from Wayne, N.J. (Wayne HS), finished second on the team in kills (2.84) and blocks (0.73) per game while ranking fourth in hitting percentage (.274).  She is the fourth West Chester rookie to earn the award in five years.

Myers is in her sixth year at California and entered the 2007 campaign as the Vulcans all-time winningest coach.  Through five complete seasons, Myers has compiled an overall record of 126-45 while advancing to the NCAA tournament in each of the past three seasons.  This year's squad, along with the 2005 edition, won PSAC Championships.  Also in 2005, Myers earned her second Coach of the Year honors.  She will guide her squad into the NCAA II Atlantic Region championship this weekend where the Vulcans will serve as the host site and the region's No. 1 seed.  California owns a 32-3 record and a 31-match win streak.
 
Piscotty also will guide her team into the NCAA II Atlantic Region championship this weekend.  The berth marks the first time ever that the Lady Raiders will compete in the NCAA tournament.  In her fourth year at Shippensburg, Piscotty's 2007 edition owns a 30-11 overall record and established a new best for wins in a season, surpassing the old record for wins in a season (24) that was set by the 1982 and 2006 teams.  This year's squad also finished a perfect 10-0 in the PSAC East, a feat done only before in Shippensburg history.  This is Piscotty's second Coach of the Year honors (2004).