Canyons Freshman Grace Ferguson Earns All-American & All-State Team Honors

College of the Canyons middle blocker Grace Ferguson has been named an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American in addition to earning both All-State and All-Western State Conference (WSC) honors.

Ferguson finished the regular season with a .466 hitting percentage to lead the state. The six-foot-two-inch freshman's 125 total blocks and 1.37 blocks per set were also the top marks in California.

Her 208 total kills ranked second on the team and ninth in the WSC. Ferguson, who attended Saugus High School, also ranked second in the WSC and No. 14 in the state with 57 service aces.

As a result of those efforts Ferguson was one of just 12 student-athletes to be named to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) All-State Team. She is just one of three all-state players hailing from the WSC. Ferguson is also an AVCA Third-Team All-American and an All-WSC First Team selection.

A full listing of 2018 All-State and All-American honorees is here.

Ferguson helped lead the Lady Cougars to an 18-8 overall record and 6-2 mark in conference play, with Canyons finishing as runner-up to Bakersfield College in the WSC, South Division. COC will now head into the postseason as the Southern Region's No. 7 seed.

Also earning All-WSC First Team accolades for the Lady Cougars was freshman libero Elizabeth Gannon who finished the regular season with a conference-leading 64 aces and 424 digs. Those numbers ranked fourth and 11th, respectively, in the state.

COC sophomore outside hitter Shayla Johnson and freshman setter Sydney Higginson were both named All-WSC Second Team honorees.

Johnson had a team-best 256 kills to finish sixth in the conference, while her 34 aces were 11th. Higginson led Canyons with 388 assists to finish sixth in the WSC, at a rate of 5.24 assists per set.

Sophomore middle blocker Toni Bito and freshman outside hitter Madison Martinez were both named All-WSC Honorable Mention.

Bito, who was an all-conference second team selection a year ago, finished the regular season with 134 kills to rank fourth on the team. She also hit at a .371 clip. Martinez had 122 kills in her first year of action with the Lady Cougars.

Canyons is headed to the postseason for a sixth straight season. Last year, COC advanced all the way to the CCCAA State Championship tournament before losing to eventual state champion Irvine Valley College in the semi-final round. Canyons also played in the state championship tourney in 2015. 

No. 10 San Diego Mesa and No. 7 Canyons will face off at 6 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 20 in the Cougar Cage.

General admission tickets are $12. Students/faculty/staff (with ID) from both schools, seniors over age 60 and children under 12 are $8, as mandated by the CCCAA. All First Responders will be admitted free to the game.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

— Photo by Jacob Velarde/COC Sports Information