CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the Volleyball All-Conference and marquee awards winners on Tuesday.
Earning the title of Player of the Year is
Grace Ward (Edgewood, Ky.) from Transylvania University. The junior had a stellar campaign for the Pioneers, helping to lead them to a regular season title in 2022. The setter leads not only the league in assists, but also the country, amassing an impressive 1,057 in 2022 and 350 in conference play, for an average of 12.07 per set. She is also fourth in the league in service aces at 18 and added 203 digs, 49 kills, and 22 total blocks over the course of the season.
Leading the charge defensively and picking up the title of Defensive Player of the Year, from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, was
Lily Ebright (Wichita, Kan.). In her first year, Ebright led the league in digs per set with a 5.71 average, which has consistently ranked top-20 in the country in digs per set. She has been named the HCAC Defensive Player of the week four times in 2022, sprawling for 194 digs in over the course of the conference season. The defensive specialist helped lead the Fightin’ Engineers to a No. 4 seed in the 2022 Volleyball post-season.
The HCAC recognizes an athlete in their first year of athletic competition who stands out, and in a vote of league coaches, Transylvania University’s
Isabella Myers (Kevil, Ky.) was selected as the Newcomer of the Year. The hitter boasts an impressive 75 kills in 2022, behind a .406 hitting percentage, the third best total in the league.
After leading the Pioneers to an unblemished 9-0 mark in conference play and a regular season title championship, Transylvania’s
Amy Barmore was named the 2022 HCAC Coach of the Year. Barmore helped guide Transylvania to the No. 1 seed and boast a 23-5 overall record, while also raising to as high as No. 23 in the AVCA Division III poll.
Player of the Year – Grace Ward, Transylvania University
Defensive Player of the Year – Lily Ebright, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Newcomer of the Year – Isabella Myers, Transylvania University
Coach of the Year – Amy Barmore, Transylvania University
The HCAC also honors an All-Conference First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention team. The members of those teams are selected by a vote of league coaches and are listed below.
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All-Conference First Team (14)
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Erin Androne |
DS |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Brooke Aselage |
OH |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Lily Ebright |
DS |
Rose-Hulman |
| Allie Fults |
MH |
Rose-Hulman |
| Kayden Holcomb |
OH / DS |
Transylvania |
| Karrington Jackson |
MB |
Transylvania |
| Olivia Kyrk |
MH |
Earlham |
| Shaylen Perry |
MH |
Anderson |
| Cate Scheper |
OH |
Transylvania |
| Molly Schwarzkopf |
MH |
Hanover |
| Erin Wagner |
S |
Earlham |
| Grace Ward |
S |
Transylvania |
| Grace Young |
MH / OH |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Maria Young |
RS |
Earlham |
All-Conference Second Team (14)
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Avery Ball |
OH |
Manchester |
| Carley Camp |
MH |
Manchester |
| Casey Dunn |
DS |
Hanover |
| Chloe Holder |
MB |
Franklin |
| Joy Maze |
OH |
Manchester |
| Erin Roach |
DS |
Anderson |
| Jennifer Shamel |
L |
Earlham |
| CC Shick |
RS / MH |
Hanover |
| Jaelyn Tomoletz |
MH |
Defiance |
| Kaylynn Wellman |
OH |
Defiance |
| Morgan Whitaker |
OH |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Maddie White |
S |
Bluffton |
| Miranda Wilson |
OH |
Franklin |
| Jenna Woods |
RS |
Bluffton |
First-Year Team (6)
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Ruthie Bingham |
OH |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Chloe Burton |
S |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Lily Ebright |
DS |
Rose-Hulman |
| Isabella Myers |
OH / S |
Transylvania |
| Maddie Robertson |
MH |
Hanover |
| CC Shick |
RS / MH |
Hanover |