LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola Volleyball absolutely crushed its first season in the PacWest Conference. The Eagles were picked to finish ninth in the PacWest preseason coaches' poll and ended up in a tie for second behind the undefeated No. 1 California Baptist Lancers.

Biola was recognized for its team achievements with some major individual awards on Wednesday when the conference announced its annual all-conference teams. Tess Van Grouw earned the prestigious title as the conference's Libero of the Year and earned All-PacWest first team honors. Brinley Beresford was recognized as the second-best setter in the conference and landed on the All-PacWest second team.

"I am so proud of them both for getting these awards," said Head Coach Aaron Seltzer. "None of it is possible without everyone else being successful and working hard around them, but they both worked very, very hard this year."

This is Van Grouw's second season in a row earning all-conference honors. Last season she was named to the All-GSAC team and earned NAIA honorable mention honors. However, to step up into a new conference and win a major annual award in your first season says a lot about Biola's senior libero.

"It means she had a phenomenal year and is indicative of the amount of respect she and our team earned from the conference this season," said Seltzer. "This is about so much more than volleyball with Tess. She demonstrates great leadership, she is humble and she has such a big heart for God and those around her."

Van Grouw had a wonderful year on the court too in her second season as full-time starting libero. She went up over 500 digs for the second season in a row (536) and was second in the conference in total digs. She's got at least four matches left this year and could extend her own single-season Biola record of 612 digs (set last year).

In addition to her defensive prowess she also helped the Eagles' offense a bit too. She was third on the team with 108 assists (a career-high) and also had 26 service aces during the regular season. It's the third time in her four-year career that she's gone over 25 aces.

The all-conference second team recognition is the first career postseason honor for Biola's junior setter, Beresford. She had to step into a much expanded role this year with the NCAA Division II substitution limitations and she made the transition almost flawlessly.

She not only spent more time setting up the other members of the Eagles' offense this season, but what made Beresford especially good this season was her own ability to participate in the offense. She ended up with 122 kills and always seemed to make the perfect decision of when to involve herself in the attack, hitting .352 for the season.

Not only that, but the junior also became a major part of the Eagles' ability to block the opponent's attack. She compiled 18 times the number of blocks she had in 2016 with 74 total blocks, including three solo stuffs. She also did her regular job to end up with 986 assists, which was the second-most total assists in the conference and 205 more than she had one year ago.

"I think a lot of what I said about Tess also applies to Brinley," said Seltzer. "Brinley plays well with others. I think on the court what really gets everybody's attention was her ability to offensively carry us through some rows. That was evident in many tough situations where she'd help us get through. She's worked very, very hard this year and i am super proud of her."

Biola ended its first regular season as a NCAA Division II institution with a 22-7 overall record and 15-5 record in PacWest Conference play. The Eagles would have qualified for the NCAA Division II postseason if not for a two-season postseason ban because of the transition process.

Instead, the team will compete as the number one seed at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament in Kissimmee, Florida next week. Pool play begins on November 30.