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 senior had a stellar campaign for the Pioneers, helping to lead them to an 8-1 record in 2023. The setter averaged 11.48 assists in conference play and with her 11.08 average assists overall, ranks her in the top 5 in the country. Ward also amassed an impressive 1,115 assists in 2023 and 316 in conference play. Ward added 2.10 digs per set.
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 2023, Ebright led the league in digs per set with a 6.53 average, which has consistently ranked top-3 in the country in digs per set and ranked as high as #1 for consecutive weeks earlier in the season. She has been named the HCAC Defensive Player of the week five times in 2023, sprawling for 588 digs over the course of the conference season. The defensive specialist helped lead the Fightin’ Engineers to a No. 6 seed in the 2023 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, Mount St. Joseph University’s
Emma Sicking (Fairfield, Ohio) was selected as the Newcomer of the Year. The hitter boasts an impressive 75 kills in 2023, behind a .406 hitting percentage, the third best total in the league.
After leading the Lions to an unblemished 9-0 mark in conference play and a regular season title championship, Mount St. Joseph’s
John Spinney was named the 2023 HCAC Coach of the Year. Spinney helped guide Mount St. Joseph to the No. 1 seed and boast a 23-1 overall record, while also ranking as No. 14 in the Division III volleyball.
Player of the Year – Grace Ward, Transylvania University
Defensive Player of the Year – Lily Ebright, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Newcomer of the Year – Emma Sicking, Mount St. Joseph University
Coach of the Year – John Spinney, Mount St. Joseph University
The HCAC also honors an All-Conference First Team and Second Team. The members of those teams are selected by a vote of league coaches and are listed below.
All Conference First Team (14)
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Erin Androne |
L |
Mount St. Joseph University |
| Jasmine Butler |
S |
Mount St. Joseph University |
| Carley Camp |
MB |
Manchester University |
| Lily Ebright |
L |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Allie Fults |
MH |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Kayden Holcomb |
MB |
Transylvania University |
| Joy Maze |
OH |
Manchester University |
| Abbey McCoy |
OH |
Hanover College |
| Isabella Myers |
OH |
Transylvania University |
| Maddie Robertson |
MH/MB |
Hanover College |
| Cate Scheper |
OH |
Transylvania University |
| McKenzee Wagener |
MH |
Mount St. Joseph University |
| Grace Ward |
S |
Transylvania University |
| Grace Young |
MH |
Mount St. Joseph University |
All Conference Second Team (14)
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Avery Ball |
OH |
Manchester University |
| Caylee Brandes |
OH |
Earlham College |
| Shelby Clements |
OH/DS |
Defiance College |
| Casey Dunn |
L |
Hanover College |
| Jillian Gregg |
S |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Hope Moring |
OH |
Franklin College |
| Shaylen Perry |
MH |
Anderson University |
| Paige Ricica |
OH |
Anderson University |
| McKenzie Schroeder |
OH |
Franklin College |
| Molly Schwarzkopf |
MH/MB |
Hanover College |
| Tiffany Watterson |
L |
Manchester University |
| Miranda Wilson |
OH |
Franklin College |
| Kate Wood |
OH |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Maria Young |
RS/OH |
Earlham College |
First-Year Team (6)
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Caylee Brandes |
OH |
Earlham College |
| Abbey McCoy |
OH |
Hanover College |
| Paige Ricica |
OH |
Anderson University |
| Kasey Sager |
MH |
Bluffton University |
| Emma Sicking |
OH |
Mount St. Joseph University |
| Tiffany Watterson |
L |
Manchester University |
For more information on HCAC Women's Volleyball, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on Twitter and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.