SCIAC Volleyball All-Conference Honors Announced
SCIAC Volleyball All-Conference Honors Announced
The 2021 All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Women's Volleyball teams were announced Monday following a vote conducted by the league's member head coaches.
Chapman setter/right side hitter Sophie Srivastava was tabbed the 2021 SCIAC Athlete of the Year after helping the Panthers to a 12-12 overall record that was fueled by a 10-6 mark in league play. The 2018 SCIAC Newcomer of the Year, Srivastava dished out 334 assists in conference action this season, averaging 5.76 assists per set. She also averaged 3.10 kills per frame and floored 180 kills en route to a .238 hitting percentage. Defensively, the Belmont, Calif. native collected 197 digs (3.40 per set) and added 43 total blocks against SCIAC opponents. Srivastava also posted seven triple-doubles in conference action this season.
SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Year honors went to Pomona-Pitzer defensive specialist Lauren Asato who helped the Sagehens secure a 17-9 overall mark that was highlighted by a 13-3 record in SCIAC action. Asato notched 322 digs in league play in 2021 - averaging 5.75 digs per set - and handed out 66 assists. Asato collected double-digit digs in all but two matches during the campaign including a season-best 29 in a 3-2 win over Whittier on Sept. 25.
Competing in her first collegiate season, outside hitter Jenna Holmes of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) was voted the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year. The sophomore led the Athenas in kills in conference play with 157 (3.74 kills per set), and a .363 hitting percentage. She also chipped in 16 service aces and 113 digs (2.69 digs per frame) to go along with a pair of double-doubles against SCIAC competition as she helped pace CMS to a 25-1 overall record and the program's first-ever 16-0 mark in SCIAC play.
California Lutheran's Lauren Heller was voted the 2021 SCIAC Character Award recipient. The volleyball character award is presented to a junior or senior who best exemplifies success on the court, in the classroom, and with involvement in community and school service. Specifically, it recognizes students who, while competing on their teams, have been recognized by coaches, officials, institutional administrators, or others as making significant contributions representing their school and serving their communities based on the following criteria: advancing sportsmanship, balancing sports and major personal academic achievements, demonstrating behavior that models efforts of inclusion within their teams and those of their opponents, contributes to a sense of civility in society, or otherwise innovatively elevates the profile of what participation in the SCIAC conference and as a Division III student-athlete can offer to the betterment of the community.
Pomona-Pitzer's Valerie Townsend and her Sagehens assistants were voted the 2021 SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year. After finishing with a 6-10 record in conference play in 2019, Townsend directed Pomona-Pitzer to a 13-3 mark in league play in 2021 and the second seed (the program's highest-ever seed) in the upcoming SCIAC Postseason Tournament.
|
|
|
|
|
Athlete
of the Year |
Defensive
Athlete of the Year |
Newcomer
of the Year |
Character Award |
Coaching
Staff of the Year |
Sophie Srivastava
Chapman |
Lauren Asato
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jenna Holmes
CMS |
Lauren Heller
Cal Lutheran |
Valerie Townsend
Pomona-Pitzer |
| |
|
|
|
|
| First Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Sophie Srivastava |
Chapman |
Sr. |
S/RS |
Belmont, Calif. |
| Lauren Asato |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jr. |
DS |
Honolulu, Hawai'i |
| Jenna Holmes |
CMS |
So. |
OH |
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. |
| Jessi Lumsden |
Chapman |
Sr. |
OH |
Carlsbad, Calif. |
| Chloe Gill |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Fy. |
OH |
Oak Park, Ill. |
| Maci Haddad |
Cal Lutheran |
Sr. |
MB |
Bakersfield, Calif. |
| Audrey Sawyer |
CMS |
Fy. |
MB |
San Diego, Calif. |
| Halle Blend |
Caltech |
So. |
S |
Farmers Branch, Texas |
| Cat Helgeson |
Chapman |
Jr. |
L |
Walnut Creek, Calif. |
| Melanie Williams |
CMS |
Sr. |
RS |
Morgan Hill, Calif. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Second Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Grace Fan |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jr. |
MB |
Irvine, Calif. |
| Emily Heldenbrand |
La Verne |
Jr. |
S |
Bates City, Mo. |
| Jackie Jones |
CMS |
Sr. |
OH |
Carlsbad, Calif. |
| Georgia McGovern |
CMS |
So. |
S |
Oxford, England |
| Ayana Mier |
La Verne |
Jr. |
MB/RS |
Pomona, Calif. |
| Alison Noyes |
Caltech |
Sr. |
MB |
Falmouth, Maine |
| Katelyn Popoff |
Whittier |
Sr. |
OH |
Hacienda Heights, Calif. |
| Isabella Wade |
Cal Lutheran |
So. |
L |
Corona, Calif. |
Follow the SCIAC on Twitter (@theSCIAC), Facebook (@SCIAC), and Instagram (@thesciac). Watch most SCIAC games, matches, and meets online via mobile devices and on OTT apps - Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android - search for 'SCIAC' and download the channel.