FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason junior Bailey Williams has been selected Atlantic 10 Second Team All-Conference, while freshmen ShaLi Niu and Peyton Ehmke have been named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team, the conference announced on Thursday.
The three honors set a Mason women's volleyball program record for the most A-10 postseason awards.
Williams, a Royal Palm Beach, Fla. native, leads the team in kills per set (2.73) and ranks second in digs per set (2.79). She has tallied nine double-doubles this season, tying her career-high in 2017. The outside hitter has posted double-digits kills in 13 matches, including 20-plus kills in two games. The junior was named Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 8 for her performances over Fordham (17 kills/19 digs) and Rhode Island (22 kills/12 digs).
Niu and Ehmke have put together one the best-freshmen campaigns in school history. Each two-time A-10 Rookie of the Weeks, Niu and Ehmke have lifted a Mason squad to its first appearance in the A-10 Championship in program history.
Niu, a Laie, Hawaii native, ranks second on the team in kills per set (2.45) and points per set (2.96). The opposite hitter posted three double-doubles this season, including 16 kills and 15 digs in Mason's sweep over top-seeded VCU on Nov. 3. She also added a career-high 28 kills in Mason's come-from-behind victory over Duquesne – the most kills by a freshman this season.
Ehmke, a San Clemente, Calif., native ranks first on the team and fifth in the conference in blocks per set (1.07). She is the only freshman that ranks in the top five in blocks per set in the A-10. She also has registered double-digit kills in 10 matches including a career-high 17 kills on Sept. 22. The middle blocker has tabbed more than five blocks in 11 matches including a career-high 10 blocks on Oct. 25.
Mason finished the regular season with a program-best Atlantic 10 record of 8-6. The Patriots earn the No. 4 seed in the A-10 Championship and will face No. 5 Saint Louis at 2 p.m. on Friday at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va.
