Volleyball All-Conference and Major Award Winners Announced
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Wingate's middle blocker Sydney Morland was voted the 2024 South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Player of the Year, while Carson-Newman's middle hitter Maddie Hurst was named the Freshman of the Year and Wingate head coach Lauren Tekavec was named the Coach of the Year the conference announced today.
Morland, a sophomore from Colorado Springs, Colo., leads the nation with a .458 hitting percentage. In each of her last six matches to end the regular season, she hit over .500 with a .769 mark and 11 kills in the regular season finale against Emory & Henry. She ranks in the top 10 in the league in kills, kills per set, hitting percentage, block assists and points per set while leading the Bulldogs to their 18th regular season championship in the past 19 years.
Hurst had a standout freshman season for the Eagles. The Blaine, Tenn. native ranks fourth in the conference with her 283 total kills and her 2.80 kills per set places her eighth. Defensively, she's third in the league with 101 total blocks and fifth with 1.00 blocks per set. She recorded double-digit kills in nine of her first 11 matches, including a season-high of 19 against Union on Sept. 7 and hit .536 in the match. In the regular season finale against Anderson, she posted a career-best 10 blocks.
Tekavec has the Bulldogs ranked nationally and has kept the high standard of success at Wingate with regular season championships in each of her first two years at the helm. Over the past two years, Tekavec and Wingate have lost just two SAC matches and her 34-2 mark in that span amounts to a 94.4 winning percentage. Overall, Wingate is 26-2 this season and is riding an 18-match winning streak.
The First Team All-Conference is made up of three players from Wingate. Joining Morland are teammates Maya Van Heyst and Emily Johnson. Mars Hill's Laela Jimenez repeats as a First Teamer for the second straight year. Lenoir-Rhyne saw Kayli Cleaver and Averie Dale named, joining Hurst and Madison Adkins from Tusculum.
2024 SAC Volleyball All-Conference
First Team
Madison Adkins, Tusculum
Kayli Cleaver, Lenoir-Rhyne
Averie Dale, Lenoir-Rhyne
Maddie Hurst, Carson-Newman
Laela Jimenez, Mars Hill (L)
Emily Johnson, Wingate
Sydney Morland, Wingate
Maya Van Heyst, Wingate
Second Team
Emerson Ahsmuhs, Carson-Newman
Blair Cherry, Carson-Newman
Brantley Chipley, Anderson
Maddie Hoffman, Wingate (L)
Kristen Moehring, Lincoln Memorial
Ellie Nieporte, Anderson
Ava Reeves, Anderson
Gabby Saye, Wingate
Third Team
Agata Bogdanska, Lincoln Memorial
Emily Campbell, Anderson
Abigail Curtis, UVA Wise (L)
Martina Foster, Tusculum
Katilyn Grant, Mars Hill
Mia McMillen, Limestone
Lorna Stacherski, Wingate
Jenna Vogen, Lenoir-Rhyne
All-Freshman
Brooke Aeschliman, Lenoir-Rhyne
Emerson Ahsmuhs, Carson-Newman
Cayla Gilmore, Coker
Maddie Hurst, Carson-Newman
Alyssa Kornegay, Mars Hill
Addison McLarty, Tusculum
Player of the Year
Sydney Morland, Wingate
Freshman of the Year
Maddie Hurst, Carson-Newman
Coach of the Year
Lauren Tekavec, Wingate
Statistical Champions
Hitting Percentage: Sydney Morland, Wingate (.458)
Kills Per Set: Kristen Moehring, Lincoln Memorial (3.77)
Assists Per Set: Ellie Nieporte, Anderson (10.25)
Blocks Per Set: Cassidy Farley, UVA Wise (1.31)
Service Aces: Laela Jimenez, Mars Hill (37)
Digs Per Set: Laela Jimenez, Mars Hill (6.15)
Team Hitting Percentage: Wingate (.302)
Team Assists Per Set: Wingate (13.70)
Team Kills Per Set: Wingate (14.65)
Team Winning Percentage: Wingate (.926)
Team Opponent Hitting Percentage: Mars Hill (.119)
Team Blocks Per Set: Mars Hill (2.30)
Team Service Aces Per Set: Wingate (2.02)
Team Digs Per Set: Mars Hill (20.45)