Tessa Fournier

Classroom

Tessa Fournier is a public relations major at Seton Hall University. She has earned dean’s list distinction in Spring 2013, Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semesters, earning a 3.4 semester GPA or higher. In addition, she has been a member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team each of her three academic years at Seton Hall. Fournier’s efforts in the classroom also contributed to her team earning the BIG EAST Team Excellence Award in 2015. This award goes to the highest team GPA among the other volleyball teams in the Big East. Her team also has earned AVCA Academic All-America distinction each year that she has been a member of the team. Fournier has been an asset to the university, not only for her athletic accolades, but also for her academic accolades.

Character

Named the undisputed team captain for the Pirates as a senior, Fournier has been the vocal and emotional leader of the Pirates’ volleyball team. As libero, she is rarely off the floor and serves as the floor leader and player liaison between the players and officials during matches. Fournier has a reputation for being a leader both on and off the court.  She is well liked by her teammates, coaches and professors and undoubtedly will be an asset for employers after college.

Community

A staunch community supporter, Fournier has participated in Seton Hall Move-In Day for three years, unloading cars and carrying the belongings of freshmen to their new rooms.  She helped collect in the Food for Hunger Drive, and assisted with fundraising operations for the 2013 Beef Steak Dinner. An active participant in Seton Hall’s Reading with the Pirates program, she has also assisted collecting food for families in need for the Thanksgiving Basket Drive and is a part of Seton Hall’s Pen Pal program. For the last three years, Fournier has also been a volleyball clinic coach. Most recently, she has been putting her efforts into organizing a soccer tournament with Spectrum Works – an organization that works in training adults with autism so that they can find employment.

Competition

Arguably the greatest defensive player in Seton Hall history, Fournier has twice been named BIG EAST Libero of the Year and is vying to become only the third player in conference history to win the award for a third season in 2016. A two-time All-BIG EAST First Team selection, she has twice led the conference in both digs and digs per set and is expected to become only the second player in Seton Hall history to tally more than 2,000 career digs. In 2014, Fournier and teammate Shelbey Manthorpe became the first players in Seton Hall history to be named AVCA All-America Honorable Mentions. That year, she set Seton Hall’s single-season digs record with 700 and helped guide the Pirates to a 28-8 record and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. A two-time AVCA All-Region selection, Fournier was named Seton Hall’s Junior Female Athlete of the Year in 2015.