Tuesday, November 21, 2023
by Evan O'Kelly

PORTLAND, Ore. – Hannah Hair became the first volleyball player in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history to win both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, as she headlined the 2023 all-conference list announced on Tuesday.

The NCAA Division II leader in blocks on a GNAC-record pace of 1.66 blocks per set, Hair led the Falcons to their fourth GNAC title and first crown since the 2011 season. SPU’s Jason Rhine was selected as the GNAC Coach of the Year, leading SPU into the NCAA West Region Championships with a regular-season record of 22-4 including 16-2 in conference play. Rhine is the second Falcon to garner the top coach award and the first since Chris Johnson earned his fourth and final honor at the end of the 2011 championship season.

Saint Martin’s standout Sirena Peredo was selected as the GNAC Freshman of the Year, and Alaska’s Lily Stewart was tabbed the GNAC Newcomer of the Year. Peredo is the second player in SMU history to earn the top freshman award, joining 2011 co-winner Kristyn Ross, while Stewart is the second player in Alaska history to claim newcomer honors as she joined 2010 award winner Tereza Bendlova.

Hair earned first-team all-conference for the third season in a row, after starting all 26 matches and leading the SPU defense with her presence at the net. Hair also contributed offensively, posting an attack percentage of .317 with an average of 1.65 kills per set. Entering the Falcons’ playoff game against Cal State LA on Nov. 30, Hair, who has one season of eligibility remaining, ranks sixth in GNAC history with 467 total blocks. Hair is the second Falcon to claim GNAC Player of the Year, alongside 2006 winner Jenna Von Moos, and she is the first in SPU history to get the nod as GNAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Joining Hair on the first team were senior outside hitter Sarah Brachvogel and senior middle blocker Allison Wilks. Brachvogel was a unanimous selection after ranking second in the GNAC with 3.42 kills per set and posting an attack percentage of .233. Brachvogel’s highest kill total in conference play came in the Falcons’ win over Northwest Nazarene on Oct. 21 when she totaled 21. She completed six double-doubles during the regular season, and enters the playoffs with a streak of eight straight matches reaching double digits in kills.

An honorable mention in 2022, Wilks led the GNAC with a hitting percentage of .417 while teaming up with Hair to make the Falcons the No. 2 team in Division II with 2.77 blocks per set. Wilks averaged 0.90 blocks per set and 1.62 kills per set, making her another formidable two-way player for the conference champions. Junior setter/outside hitter Emily Tulino also garnered all-conference recognition, earning honorable mention after averaging 5.71 assists per set.

Tia Andaya earned first-team all-GNAC for the third consecutive season, after helping the Wildcats to a runner-up finish in the standings with a record of 20-6 overall and 14-4 in conference play. One of the most versatile players in the league, Andaya ranked second in the GNAC with 9.08 assists per set, sixth with 1.08 blocks per set and 15th in hitting percentage at .259. Andaya added two triple-doubles to up her GNAC all-time record total to 14, and helped the Wildcats to their 10th consecutive NCAA West Region Championships appearance.

CWU libero Hannah Stires earned all-conference for the third consecutive season, receiving the first-team nod from the coaches for the second time in her career. Stires put up 5.01 digs per set to rank second in the GNAC, and reached double figures in digs in all but one match this season. Stires had 20 or more digs in 11 different matches, including a season-high 27 in the Wildcats’ five-set loss to Seattle Pacific on Sept. 23. At the end of her junior year, Stires ranks No. 21 in GNAC history with 1,517 digs and No. 16 in GNAC history in digs per set with 4.77.

Two more Wildcats earned first-team honors, with sophomore opposite Scottie Ellsworth and junior middle blocker Emma Daoud-Hebert joining the list. Ellsworth enjoyed a breakout campaign that saw her rank ninth in the GNAC with 2.70 kills per set and 14th in hitting percentage at .264. Ellsworth picked up GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 2, after totaling 27 kills across a pair of victories for the Wildcats.

Another prolific net player in the conference, Daoud-Hebert ranks No. 2 in Division II with 1.45 blocks per set as she commanded CWU’s defensive presence all season. She earned first-team for the second straight season by contributing on both sides, posting a hitting percentage of .354 and reaching double figures in kills in four matches. Daoud-Hebert climbed to No. 19 in GNAC history with 379 total blocks, and ranks second in conference history with 1.40 blocks per set.

A trio of Red Leafs appeared on the all-conference team, after Simon Fraser finished fourth in the GNAC standings with a record of 16-10 overall and 11-7 in league play. Brooke Dexter garnered first-team selection for the second year in-a-row, after ranking 10th in the conference with 2.67 kills per set and 11th with a hitting percentage of .269. Jocelyn Sherman was a unanimous pick after earning honorable mention last year, as she ranked fifth in the GNAC in kills per set at 3.12. SFU’s Kalyn Hartmann was named honorable mention, after putting up 0.96 blocks per set and ranking sixth in the league with a hitting percentage of .306.

A third-place finish by Western Washington (12-14, 12-6 GNAC) was propelled by three all-conference picks, including first-team outside hitter Devyn Oestreich. The sophomore averaged 2.61 kills per set, 0.36 service aces per set, and 3.44 digs per set on her way to a well-rounded season for the Vikings. Emily Vossenkuhl was one of just three freshmen on the all-conference team, as she and junior Gabby Kepley were honorable mentions for WWU. Vossenkuhl ranked third in the GNAC with 1.18 blocks per set, while Kepley averaged 1.87 kills per set on the attack.

The top statistical setter in the GNAC, Karla Soto of Saint Martin’s was a unanimous first-team selection after averaging 10.48 assists per set. Soto also led the conference in service aces with 0.58 per set, a figure that ranked 12th nationally. Earning honorable mention for the Saints was a pair of freshmen in Peredo and Emily Garten. Peredo ranked ninth in the conference with 3.42 digs per set, sixth with 2.93 kills per set and was the only player in the conference this year to earn GNAC Player of the Week both offensively and defensively. Garten meanwhile ranked third in the GNAC with 3.39 kills per set and fourth in the conference with 4.04 points per set. The three all-conference selections were a big part of SMU’s best volleyball season ever, as it finished fifth in the GNAC with a record of 17-11 and 10-8 in league play.

Finishing the season with her name at the top of the GNAC kills per set leaderboard at 3.56, Western Oregon’s Madison Hornback earned first-team all-conference recognition. Twice selected as the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week, the highlight of Hornback’s season came in the form of 50 kills across two matches, including the highest single-match total by a GNAC player in 2023 with 27 kills against NNU on Oct. 26.

Picking up first-team all-conference in her final collegiate season, Caroline McMahon of Northwest Nazarene completed one of the top defensive careers the conference has seen. The fifth-year libero ranked third in the GNAC with 4.65 digs per set and reached double figures in digs in all but one of her team’s matches. McMahon finished her career seventh in GNAC history with 1,976 digs and 28th with an average of 4.26 digs per set.

Karli Nielson of Alaska held true to her selection on the preseason all-conference team, winding up seventh in the GNAC with 2.93 kills per set on the way to a first-team all-GNAC nod. Nielson reached double figures in kills in 17 matches, and twice reached her season high of 19 kills. Junior middle blocker Kristina Head joined Nielson on the all-conference list, earning honorable mention after averaging 0.96 blocks per set. Stewart, the newcomer of the year, averaged 2.18 kills per set while hitting .241 on the season.

Representing Alaska Anchorage on the all-conference team was Nicole Blue who earned honorable mention recognition. Blue ranked fourth in the GNAC with 3.36 kills per set and led the league with 4.06 points per set.

Montana State Billings libero Christine Funk was another honorable mention selection, after leading the GNAC with 5.16 digs per set. Funk’s 526 digs in 2023 were the third most in MSUB single-season history.