LEXINGTON, Ky. --- Tusculum College volleyball associate head coach Aly Knott has been named a recipient of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Thirty Under 30 Award.

This award was created in 2009 to honor up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of the sport. To qualify for the award nominees had to be 30 years old or younger in 2014.

Knott has completed her third season on the Tusculum coaching staff and following the conclusion of the 2014 campaign, she was promoted to the position of Associate Head Coach.

Knott assists with all operations of the program, while also serving as recruiting coordinator and strength and conditioning coordinator.

During her tenure with the Pioneers, TC has accounted for three consecutive winning season, including back-to-back 20-win campaigns in 2012 and 2013, both resulting in consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

In her first Pioneer campaign in 2012, TC posted a 24-8 overall record, including 14-4 in the South Atlantic Conference to finish runner-up in the league standings. Included in that victory tally was a 3-1 road win at 16th-ranked Wingate on Sep. 15, 2012, snapping the Bulldogs' 83-match SAC winning streak, a span covering nearly six seasons. Tusculum put together a nine-match winning streak towards the end of the season as TC marched its way to the SAC Tournament title match, before falling in a five-set marathon against Wingate.

TC earned the fourth-seed in the NCAA II Southeast Regional, held in Savannah, Ga. The Pioneers outlasted Lincoln Memorial in a five-set battle and followed with a stunning 3-1 upset over top-seeded Armstrong on the Pirates' home floor to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.

In 2013, the Pioneers recorded a 21-11 worksheet for the program's eighth consecutive winning season and third 20-win campaign in the last four years. Three-time All-America libero Caitlyn Dean led the charge earning All-SAC and All-Region accolades for a fourth straight year, while becoming NCAA Division II's all-time leader with 3,184 digs. Rookie Rachel Garnett was selected as the SAC Freshman of the Year, while Kassie Voelker (second team) and Megan Hasse (honorable mention) also garnered All-SAC distinction. TC opened the season with a five-match winning streak, including a thrilling five-set victory over 25th-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic.

Off the court, setter Ashley Sarmiento was tabbed the SAC Volleyball Scholar Athlete of the Year for a second straight season and Dean earned a spot on the Capital One Academic All-America® third team. Sarmiento also repeated as the winner of the SAC Presidents Award, the highest student-athlete honor presented by the conference.

Prior to Tusculum, she served as the head volleyball coach at Cape Fear Community College during the 2011 campaign. While at the Wilmington, North Carolina school, she led the Sea Devils to a 17-8 record, including 14-3 in league play to finish runner-up in the Carolinas Conference Eastern Division.

She also served as Recruiting Coordinator for Grand Strand Juniors Volleyball Club, a program developed in 2007 out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Knott also served as head coach for the club, leading the 18 National team this past summer.

She coached three years with the Grand Strand Juniors. For the 2010-11 season, Knott helped GSJ's 18 National team finish fifth in the state and seventh in the Palmetto Region Championships. Knott's 18 National team graduated seven seniors; six accepting athletic scholarship opportunities. In the 2009-10 club season, she assisted with the 15 National team, helping the team to a seventh place finish in the state and a sixth place finish in the Palmetto Region Championships.

Knott is a 2008 graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. where she played volleyball for the Eagles. During her career at Juniata, she helped her team to two NCAA National Championship titles in 2004 and 2006. She earned all-conference academic honors at Juniata while studying Communication and Media Studies.

Aly and her husband Richard Knott were married last summer. Richard has completed his third season on the Tusculum volleyball coaching staff.

- TC -