LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – KJ Johnson has been named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Player of the Year for the second consecutive season to highlight the All-MAAC honors collected by Fairfield University Volleyball. Johnson and Ella Gardiner were named to the All-MAAC First Team, and Head Coach Todd Kress extended his own conference record with his ninth MAAC Coach of the Year award.
 
"I am thrilled for our student-athletes who have earned these well-deserved All-MAAC honors. It is a testament to their hard work not just throughout the season but throughout their careers," said Kress. "Every award and honor in our program is a team award; they are the product of a group effort as we challenge and support each other to be our individual and collective best on a daily basis. We will take a moment tonight to celebrate our All-MAAC honorees and then turn our focus back to a Niagara team that is playing well and playing with a lot of confidence after a win today."
 
Johnson followed up her 2021 All-America season with another dazzling campaign on the outside. She ranks third in the MAAC with 3.63 kills per frame. Her .278 hitting percentage is sixth overall in the conference and first among outside hitters, and only six players in the nation with as many as Johnson's 910 swings own a higher attack percentage. Defensively, Johnson averages 2.22 digs per set and ranks among the conference's top 10 in blocks with 75 rejections in 93 sets.
 
"KJ is a special player, and she is very deserving of being MAAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season," said Kress. "She's arguably the most physical and best blocking outside in our conference and has worked very hard this season to increase her range of shots. I am impressed with the way that she welcomes the challenge and responsibility of being our 'go-to' player, and she has flourished in that role on and off the court."
 
Johnson is only the second Stag to ever win back-to-back MAAC Player of the Year honors joining Skyler Day, who nabbed the award in both 2016 and 2017. She adds a second straight All-MAAC First Team selection to a career résumé that also includes 2021 MAAC Championship MVP, AVCA All-Northeast Region and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention.
 
Ella Gardiner picks up All-MAAC First Team honors after ranking second in the MAAC with 1.05 blocks per set. Offensively, she slots fifth in the conference with a .299 hitting percentage on 394 attempts on her way to 1.89 kills per frame. As a unit, the Stags lead the MAAC with 2.52 blocks per set and in opponent hitting percentage at .150.
 
"Ella's improvement from her freshman year has been outstanding. She has grown in every aspect of her game, both tangibles and intangibles, to become one of our most trusted players on both offense and defense," Kress noted. "We are at our best when we are balanced offensively and Ella's improvement in transition has allowed us to take that step. What people outside of our program don't realize is how much Ella has improved the mental side of her game, becoming much more aggressive and tenacious."
 
In addition, Fairfield is the only team with multiple MAAC All-Rookie Team selections as Allie Elliott and Maya Walker both garner a spot among the conference's top first-year players.
 
"It's never a seamless transition to go from high school to college, in terms of volleyball as well as academics and all of the other changes in daily life. Allie and Maya have faced all of these changes head on, very quickly adapting to what it takes physically and mentally to be a successful student-athlete in our program," commented Kress on his two rookie standouts. "I am proud of the work that they have put in, and I look forward to seeing their continued development throughout their careers."
 
Elliott has appeared in 53 sets on the outside during her freshman campaign. She averages 1.83 kills and 2.30 digs per set with two double-doubles. She is hitting .228 from the pins and also contributed 12 blocks and eight service aces.
 
Walker is the MAAC leader with 1.19 blocks per set, putting down 74 in her 62 sets of action. She has hit .280 in the middle, bolstered by a scorching .322 against conference foes, on her way to 1.34 kills per stanza.
 
Kress wins his second straight Coach of the Year and his unprecedented ninth in 13 seasons leading the Stags. He has led the Stags to a 23-6 overall record, including winning the MAAC regular season by three matches with a 17-1 conference tally. The Stags highlighted the non-conference slate with a five-set win at Villanova followed by a "reverse sweep" 3-2 comeback win over fellow Big East squad St. John's.
 
Kress previously earned the award in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and the fall of 2021. This September, he collected his 500th career victory and currently stands at 515-313 (.622) in 27 seasons as a head coach. He is the all-time winningest coach in Fairfield and MAAC history with a 281-118 (.704) record leading the Stags and has won a record seven MAAC Championships and 10 MAAC Regular Season Championships. Kress is 158-28 (.849) all-time in the MAAC regular season.
 
"When I say that 'all awards are team awards,' that goes double if not triple for Coach of the Year," Kress said. "I'm humbled and proud to be chosen by my peers for this award, and I'm even prouder to share it with 16 student-athletes, my close friend and associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, and countless others throughout our athletic department and our university."
 
Fairfield Volleyball begins its hunt for the 13th NCAA postseason appearance in program history on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. against eighth-seeded Niagara in the quarterfinal round of the MAAC Championship at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.