SELINSGROVE, Pa. - A pair of Susquehanna University women's volleyball players have been named Commonwealth Conference All-Stars for the 2000 season, the conference office announced Thursday.
Junior middle blocker Sarah Lauro and sophomore middle blocker Traci Sariscak each earned second-team honors after the Crusaders finished 17-12 overall (5-2 Commonwealth) and qualified for the playoffs for the second time in the last three years.
In addition, eighth-year head coach Bill Switala has been named Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year after leading Susquehanna to a second-place finish in the conference and the first home playoff game in program history.
Lauro (Collegeville, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) was named to the second team for the third time in as many seasons after finishing second on the team in kills (311 - fourth-highest single-season total in school history) and hitting percentage (.294) and leading the squad in blocks (68). She finished third in the Commonwealth Conference in kills per game (3.27) and sixth in hitting percentage, and posted 20 or more kills in a pair of matches this season.
Lauro is an elementary education major and the daughter of James and Louise Lauro.
Sariscak (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park H.S.) led the Crusaders with 312 kills (the third-highest single-season total in school history) and hit .333 to finish second in the Commonwealth Conference. She also finished second on the team with 57 blocks and recorded 39 aces to place fourth on the squad. Sariscak hit .750 or better in three matches this season and committed just 54 errors in 775 attacks.
Sariscak is a business major and the daughter of Joseph and Kathleen Sariscak.
Switala, a 1992 graduate of St. Vincent's College, is the winningest coach in program history with a 131-114 record in eight seasons. He has directed the team to the conference playoffs in 1998 and 2000, and recorded five winning seasons during his tenure.
Switala is a social studies teacher at Selinsgrove Area High School, and resides in Selinsgrove with his wife Jennifer, daughter Gabrielle and son Will.
