BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Loyola University Maryland seniors Abby Hamilton and Katie Forsythe were named to the All-Patriot League Teams on Monday, and Forsythe was named the conference's Libero of the Year for the fourth-straight season, when yearly awards were announced by the Patriot League offices.
 
Hamilton was recognized on the All-Patriot League First Team, while Forsythe earned recognition on the Second Team.
 
The pair will join the Greyhounds on Tuesday night when they play in the Patriot League Quarterfinals. Loyola will travel to Washington, D.C., as the No. 5 seed to face fourth-seeded American University in a 7 o'clock match.
 
Forsythe's Libero of the Year Award makes her the first Patriot League volleyball player to earn an end-of-year major award four-straight years. She joins former Loyola men's lacrosse All-American Pat Spencer as one of five Patriot League student-athletes to do so in their individual sport.
 
Hamilton solidified her spot as one of the top hitters in school history this season by raising her already solid statistical measures to another level. She enters the Patriot League Championships ranked second in the conference and No. 28 in NCAA Division I with 4.26 kills per set while hitting a career-best .211 from the outside.
 
This season, she has 10 or more kills in 24 of the Greyhounds' 27 matches, nine-plus in 26. She also has continued to be a key member of the Loyola defense, posting 2.80 digs per set.
 
Earlier this season, Hamilton became the 11^th player in program history to reach 1,000 kills in a career, and she has moved up the all-time charts to within five kills of fifth place going into the postseason. She has 1,315 kills in her career to go with 917 digs. Her 3.59 kills per set are tied for fourth all-time at Loyola.
 
Forsythe adds to hear already heavy load of postseason honors with her fourth All-Patriot League honor in addition to her fourth Libero of the Year Award. Like the past three seasons, Forsythe has put up numbers to rival any player in NCAA Division I this year with regards to digs.
 
She is second nationally in digs per set (5.74) going into the tournament and is poised to lead the conference in that statistical category for the fourth-straight year.
 
Last month, she set the Loyola and Patriot League career records for digs and goes into Tuesday night's match with 2,177 digs. Her 5.95 digs per set rank fourth all-time in NCAA Division I history, and she is the nation's active leader in that statistical category.
 
Both Hamilton and Forsythe have been standout students in the classroom, as well, earning recognition on the Academic All-Patriot League Team last year.