DANVILLE, Va. — The Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) released its 2021 College Division Volleyball All-State teams on Thursday, and two Washington and Lee players were honored and Head Coach Bryan Snyder was named the Coach of the Year.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Heifner (Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth Hall) and junior libero Caroline Gard (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) each garnered a spot on the first team. This is Heifner's first All-State accolade and Gard's second.
 
Heifner led the ODAC in kills with 433 and was third in kills per set (3.90). She also had 327 digs, which was eighth in the conference, to go with 46 blocks, 31 aces and 25 assists.
 
The 433 kills this season are the ninth-most in a single season in program history. Heifner also had a season-high 24 kills in a 3-2 win over Randolph-Macon, which tied for the 10th-most in a single-match in program history. Heifner was named the ODAC Player of the Year and earned First Team All-ODAC and AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region honors.
 
Gard led the conference in digs with 495 and was third in the league in digs per set (4.46). She was also fourth in the ODAC in service aces with 40. The 495 digs this season are the eighth-best single-season total in program history and she now has 1,361 digs in her career, which is 10th all-time at W&L. She was named First Team All-ODAC earlier this season.
 
Snyder earned his seventh VaSID Coach of the Year laurel and his second straight. He was named the ODAC Coach of the Year for the 11th time after leading the Generals to the program's 18th ODAC Championship. The team finished with a 26-8 overall record, advancing to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Snyder also picked up his 600th career coaching victory this year, and he now has a 615-205 (.750 winning percentage) overall record in 24 seasons with 22 coming as the head coach of W&L.