SCIAC kills leader Mya Ray from the University of La Verne and 2022 Defensive Athlete of the Year Dede Carranza of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges headlined the 2023 Women’s Volleyball All-Conference teams as Offensive and Defensive Athletes of the Year.
Ray built on her Newcomer of the Year campaign last season, again leading the conference in kills per set as she upped her average in conference play from 4.05 as a rookie to 4.87 and a total of 263 this year on a .260 hitting percentage. She also recorded 3.09 digs and 0.52 blocks per set in leading the Leopards to a No. 21 national ranking and the #2 seed in the SCIAC Tournament.
Carranza repeated as Defensive Athlete of the Year as the Athenas spent another entire season ranked among the Top 10 in the AVCA poll and won at least a share of an eighth consecutive SCIAC regular season title. She ranked second in the conference with 5.21 digs per set and third at 0.51 service aces per set while limiting her reception errors to an astounding 0.09 per set.
Whittier College middle blocker Mia D’Amato was recognized as the Newcomer the Year after ranking fifth in the conference in both hitting percentage (.270) and blocks (1.05 per set). The Poets qualified for the SCIAC Tournament for the first time since 2015 and entered the NCAA regional rankings for the first time since 2018 thanks to a six-match win streak before the final contest of the regular season, including a victory over No. 4 CMS for the first time in 28 years.
The Character Award also went to a Poet as Analise Kusleika was recognized for her significant contributions representing her school and serving in her communities. Team captain and Co-President of the Poet Student-Athletes Leadership Academy, she also sits in the college Senate as the athletics department representative. She has advocated fiercely for Whittier Athletics and currently also serves as an intern with the athletic department, focusing on events and building better relationships between the general student population and faculty.
Leopards Head Coach Jeff Hendershot and his assistants were named the Coaching Staff of the Year winners after returning to the national rankings for the first time since 2018 behind a 14-0 start to the season. La Verne ranked a clear second behind only CMS in nearly every team statistical category, including points per set (18.02), kills (14.13), hitting percentage (.226) and opponent kills (10.46) in locking up the #2 seed.
CMS led the five teams to have a player recognized with four on the First Team and five total, with La Verne and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges close behind with three First and one Second Team selection each. Whittier’s Xenia Villagomez and Nadine Oronoz joined D’Amato on the Second Team while Kira Mortensen and Sadie Peate made the cut for fifth-place California Lutheran University. Carranza and Ray both repeated as First Team selections from last season, while the CMS trio of 2022 Athlete of the Year Jenna Holmes, Georgia McGovern and Audrey Sawyer earned their third All-Conference honors, with Holmes and Bell becoming three-time First Team honorees. Pomona-Pitzer’s Paige Mountanos moved up after earning Second Team recognition last fall while La Verne’s Ayana Mier was named Second Team for the third year running and Brenna Bell featured in the All-Conference picture for a second consecutive season.
The SCIAC Tournament begins on Thursday, Nov. 9 with semifinals matches between #1 CMS/#4 Whittier and #2 La Verne/#3 Pomona-Pitzer, both at 7 p.m.
Tournament Central
| First Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Mya Ray |
La Verne |
So. |
OH |
Pomona, Calif. |
| Dede Carranza |
CMS |
Jr. |
L |
Gardena, Calif. |
| Lauren Gott |
La Verne |
Fy. |
OH |
Wrightwood, Calif. |
| Jenna Holmes |
CMS |
Sr. |
OH |
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. |
| Paige Mountanos |
Pomona-Pitzer |
So. |
OH |
San Mateo, Calif. |
| Kellan Hayes |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jr. |
MB |
Boise, Idaho |
| Audrey Sawyer |
CMS |
Jr. |
MB |
San Diego, Calif. |
| Georgia McGovern |
CMS |
Sr. |
S |
Oxford, England |
| Corrina Benson |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Fy. |
L |
Savage, Minn. |
| Malia Capistrano |
La Verne |
Fy. |
S |
Eastvale, Calif. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Second Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Brenna Bell |
CMS |
Jr. |
OPP |
Murrieta, Calif. |
| Mia D'Amato |
Whittier |
Fy. |
MB |
Bakersfield, Calif. |
| Ayana Mier |
La Verne |
Gr. |
MB |
Pomona, Calif. |
| Kira Mortensen |
Cal Lutheran |
Sr. |
MB |
Butte, Mont. |
| Nadine Oronoz |
Whittier |
Jr. |
L |
Whittier, Calif. |
| Sadie Peete |
Cal Lutheran |
Sr. |
OH |
San Ramon, Calif. |
| Xenia Villagomez |
Whittier |
Sr. |
MB |
Corona, Calif. |
| Paige Wilson |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Sr. |
OH |
Mill Creek, Wash. |
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