Horizon League Announces 2018 #HLVB Awards
Rachel White
INDIANAPOLIS – Green Bay’s Taylor Wolf has been named the Horizon League Volleyball Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, while teammate Vanessa Buman has earned Defensive Player of the Year. Maddie Yoss of the Phoenix has been chosen Setter of the Year, while head coach Abbey Sutherland has earned the title of Coach of the Year. In addition, UIC’s Kiera James was named the Freshman of the Year. All-League teams and specialty award winners were chosen by the League’s nine head coaches and announced by the Horizon League on Thursday.
Wolf is the first Green Bay player to earn Player of the Year honors since 2003. The sophomore led the League with 4.48 kills per set and 5.08 points per set. The right side attacker ranks 14th nationally in both kills and points per set. Wolf takes home Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and All-League First Team honors this season after winning Freshman of the Year in 2017.
Buman led the League with 5.82 digs per set in conference play, earning Defensive Player of the Year recognition. The senior also ranks eighth in league play in aces per set (.23). First Team All-League member Buman anchored the Phoenix defense that held league opponents to a .159 hitting percentage this season.
Yoss recorded 10.81 assists per set in her junior campaign, leading all League setters in that category, and earning Setter of the Year honors. Green Bay’s offense was the second-best in the League, with a team hitting percentage of .202 this season. Yoss also chipped in 112 kills of her own, boasting a .268 hitting percentage in her First Team All-League season.
James posted stellar numbers in her first campaign with the Flames, taking Freshman of the Year recognition. In League play, James ranked second with 4.08 kills per set. James helped the Flames to a top-four seed in the championship, earning First Team All-League honors, as well.
First-year head coach Abbey Sutherland earned Horizon League Coach of the Year, leading the Phoenix to their first Horizon League regular season title. Green Bay has totaled 18 wins this season and boasts a perfect 8-0 record at the Kress Center, the site of this year’s championship.
Joining Wolf, Buman, Yoss, and James on the All-League First Team are student-athletes from five additional programs. James is joined by teammate Paola Santiago (2.81 kills per set) while Northern Kentucky and Oakland each placed two honorees on the All-League First Team. NKU’s Haley Libs (4.06 kills per set, 3.94 digs per set) and Ashton Terrill (5.50 digs) and Oakland’s Jamie Walling (3.37 kills per set, .290) and Krysteena Davis (1.17 blocks per set) all earned First Team honors. Libs is just the third player in Horizon League history to earn All-League First Team recognition all four years.
Cleveland State’s Trinniti Hall (2.87 kills per set, .273) represents the Vikings, while Milwaukee’s Carmen Heilemann (2.96 kills per set) and Wright State’s Teddie Sauer (2.50 kills per set) each represent their programs on the All-League First Team.
Six players also earned All-League Honorable Mention honors, including three Vikings. Emily DeGeorge, Hannah Greene, and Rachel Stover represent CSU, while IUPUI’s Maggie Gibson, NKU’s Bailey Western, and WSU’s Celia Powers round out the Honorable Mention honorees.
UIC’s James highlights the All-Freshman Team, along with teammate Paola Santiago. Five schools are represented as CSU’s Christina Grecol, Green Bay’s Alexandra Zakutney, NKU’s Anna Brinkman and Miranda Wucherer and WSU’s Jenna Story round out the All-Freshman Team.
The Horizon League Volleyball Championship begins on Friday, Nov.16, with two quarterfinal contests. No. 3 Northern Kentucky battles No. 6 Wright State at 3 p.m. CT, then No. 4 UIC takes on No. 5 Milwaukee at 6 p.m. CT.
On Saturday, Nov. 17, the first semifinal will see No. 1 Green Bay square off against the lowest remaining seed at 3 p.m. CT, with No. 2 Cleveland State taking on the highest remaining seed at 6 p.m. CT. The championship contest will commence at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 18.
Every match of the 2018 Horizon League Volleyball Championship will be streamed live on ESPN+ and fans can also follow all the action on social media by following @HorizonLeague.
Visit
championship central for more information.
2018 Horizon League Volleyball Award Winners
Player of the Year
Taylor Wolf, Green Bay
Freshman of the Year
Kiera James, UIC
Offensive Player of the Year
Taylor Wolf, Green Bay
Defensive Player of the Year
Vanessa Buman, Green Bay
Setter of the Year
Maddie Yoss, Green Bay
Coach of the Year
Abbey Sutherland, Green Bay
First Team All-League (alphabetical by school)
Trinniti Hall, Cleveland State
Vanessa Buman, Green Bay
Taylor Wolf, Green Bay
Maddie Yoss, Green Bay
Carmen Heilemann, Milwaukee
Haley Libs, Northern Kentucky
Ashton Terrill, Northern Kentucky
Krysteena Davis, Oakland
Jamie Walling, Oakland
Kiera James, UIC
Paola Santiago, UIC
Teddie Sauer, Wright State
Honorable Mention All-League (alphabetical by school)
Emily DeGeorge, Cleveland State
Hannah Greene, Cleveland State
Rachel Stover, Cleveland State
Maggie Gibson, IUPUI
Bailey Western, Northern Kentucky
Celia Powers, Wright State
All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school)
Christina Grecol, Cleveland State
Alexandra Zakutney, Green Bay
Anna Brinkman, Northern Kentucky
Miranda Wucherer, Northern Kentucky
Kiera James, UIC
Paola Santiago, UIC
Jenna Story, Wright State