BETHLEHEM, Pa. ­– Abby Hamilton rounded out a terrific senior season on Thursday when she was named the Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her outstanding efforts on the court and in the classroom.
 
She was joined by her Loyola University Maryland classmate Katie Forsythe on the seven-player Patriot League All-Academic Team. Hamilton and Forsythe were named to the All-Patriot League First and Second Teams, respectively, and Forsythe was named the conference's Libero of the Year for the fourth-straight season.
 
The duo are also repeat members of the Patriot League All-Academic Team after earning the recognition in 2020.
 
Hamilton, who is the first player to be named the Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year since the Greyhounds joined the conference in 2013, entered her final year at Loyola with a 3.889 grade-point average as a mechanical and materials engineering major.
 
On the court, she is second in the Patriot League in kills per set (4.29), a statistics category in which she is ranked No. 25 in NCAA Division I this year. She hit a career-high .209 in the process and was a key part of the Greyhounds' serve-receive and passing game averaging 2.85 digs per set, a figure that is tied for ninth in the conference.
 
Hamilton finished her career with 1,350 kills, a figure that ranks fifth in program history and would have been significantly higher except for the fact the 2020 season was only six matches due to COVID.
 
In the classroom, Hamilton has been named to the Loyola Dean's List six times and is a three-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
 
Forsythe is a 3.636 student as an elementary education major and the top libero in conference history. She became the first volleyball player in Patriot League history to win a yearly positional award four years in a row, and she joined former Loyola men's lacrosse All-American Pat Spencer as one of five Patriot League student-athletes to do so in their individual sport.
 
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 third nationally in digs per set (5.70) and leads the conference for the fourth-straight season. 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.