Women's Volleyball | 11/13/2024 1:58:36 PM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2024 Women’s Volleyball All-Conference awards on Wednesday, November 13. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches. Senior Tessa Grover from Nazareth University was named the Player of the Year, St. John Fisher University first-year Lydia Fraser was named Rookie of the Year, Elsie Logan of SUNY Brockport was the Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year and Nazareth head coach Tara Jehlen, and her staff were named the E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
Grover, who was also the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, now can add Player of the Year honors to her impressive four-year career at Nazareth. Grover garnered All-E8 first team honors for the fourth straight season and has enjoyed a tremendous senior year for the Golden Flyers, as she is tied for third in all of Division III with four triple-doubles on the season. She serves as both valuable hitter from the right side and can be Nazareth’s setter. Grover, a AVCA National Player of the Week for the second straight year, is averaging 3.83 assists, 3.07 kills, 2.31 digs and 0.59 blocks per set this season, while hitting .305. She is among the top-five in the league in hitting percentage, kills per set, blocks per set and total points per set. Grover is the fourth E8 Player of the Year all-time from Nazareth.
Logan, a sophomore, was named the E8 Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year. Logan leads all Empire 8 players with 461 digs and is second, averaging 4.85 digs per set, in addition to 69 assists and 31 service aces. She has recorded at least 10 digs in all but one match this season, including 10 contests with at least 20 digs. Logan averaged 5.1 digs per set in 10 E8 regular season contests.
Fraser, an outside hitter, has emerged as a leader for the Cardinals, slamming 297 kills on the season to go along with 239 digs and a team-high 46 service aces, while also earning All-E8 first team accolades. She has recorded at least 10 kills in a match 19 times and has 10 double-doubles on the season. Fraser was a five-time E8 Rookie of the Week and is the ninth Rookie of the Year in St. John Fisher program history.
Nazareth head coach Tara Jehlen and assistant coach Katie Nicholas were honored as the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. Nazareth won the Empire 8 Regular Season Championship and is the No. 1 seed in the E8 Tournament after finishing 10-1 in league play this season. Four Golden Flyers earned All-Empire 8 honors this season, headlined by Grover, the Player of the Year.
Grover became just the fourth student-athlete to earn All-E8 first team honors for the fourth time. Hartwick setter Braelyn Hornick and teammate Staecia Silofau in addition to St. John Fisher sophomore middle hitter Ana Gutman all garnered first team accolades for the second time. Carleigh Santavy of Alfred University, Logan, Fraser, Lilly Bentley of Houghton University and Leah Fusilli of Nazareth were also named All-E8 first team members.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2024 Women's Volleyball Sportswoman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
2024 Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Tessa Grover, Sr., RS/S, Nazareth
Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year: Elsie Logan, So., L/DS, SUNY Brockport
Rookie of the Year: Lydia Fraser, Fr., OH, St. John Fisher
Coaching Staff of the Year: Nazareth, led by head coach Tara Jehlen
Empire 8 First Team
Carleigh Santavy, So., OPP, Alfred (Commerce, MI/Walled Lake)
Elsie Logan, So., L/DS, SUNY Brockport (Tonawanda Seneca Nation, NY/Akron)
Braelyn Hornick, Jr., S, Hartwick (Candor, NY/Candor)
Staecia Silofau, Sr., OH/MH, Hartwick (Kapolei, HI/Maryknoll)
Lilly Bentley, Fr., OPP, Houghton (Westons Mills, NY/Portville)
Tessa Grover, Sr., RS/S, Nazareth (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
Leah Fusilli, Jr., OH, Nazareth (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
Ana Gutman, So., MB, St. John Fisher (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
Lydia Fraser, Fr., OH, St. John Fisher (Plymouth, MI/Father Gabriel Richard)
Empire 8 Second Team
Delaney Sims, Jr., S, Alfred (Bogart, GA/George Walton Academy)
Alenna Williamson, Jr., MB/RS, SUNY Brockport (Roanoke, VA/Rockbridge)
Dayna Edholm, Gr., OH, Keuka (Buffalo, NY/Sweet Home)
Shelby Swartz, Jr., OH, Hartwick (Candor, NY/Candor)
Emma Cole, Jr., MB, Houghton (Fillmore, NY/Fillmore)
Alana Lucey, Fr., MB, Nazareth (Fairport, NY/Fairport)
Macey Salvione, Sr., OH, Russell Sage (Johnstown, NY/Gloversville)
Kaylene Noble, So., OH, St. John Fisher (Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius)
Reilly Morrow, Jr., S, St. John Fisher (Moore, OK/Moore)
Empire 8 Third Team
Taylor Malone, Jr., OH, Alfred (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads)
Lauren Emke, Fr., MB, SUNY Brockport (Pittsford, NYH/Pittsford Mendon)
Kathryn Barba, Fr., OH, SUNY Geneseo (Huntington, NY/Huntington)
Zooey Gagnier, So., L/DS, SUNY Geneseo (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
Madison Gamberg, Sr., MB, SUNY Geneseo (Rockville Centre, NY/South Side)
Shaelyn Thornton, Sr., OH, Hartwick (Scarborough, ME/Scarborough)
Ainslie Reimer, So., OH, Houghton (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca)
Jenna Mattison, Jr., L/DS, Nazareth (Marcellus, NY/Marcellus)
Kiera Hartpence, Jr., L/DS, St. John Fisher (Scotia, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake)
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Kristin Finley, Sr., MB, Alfred (Kenton, MN/Kenton-Wanamingo)
Gianna Felipe, Jr., L/DS, SUNY Brockport (Poughkeepsie, NY/FDR)
Gabriella Rustine, Jr., MH, Elmira (Endicott, NY/Union Endicott)
Madison Baumann, Sr., OPP, SUNY Geneseo (Brookhaven, NY/Bellport)
Arianna Thompson, Sr., OH/DS, Hartwick (Hogansburg, NY/Messina)
Ella Smith, Sr., OH, Houghton (Jamestown, NY/Jamestown)
Bryn Straub, Sr., MB, Keuka (Rochester, NY/West Irondequoit)
Ella Kules, Sr., S, Nazareth (Lake Luzerne, NY/Glens Falls)
Kassity Cruz, Fr., OH, SUNY Poly (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy)
Madeline Mott, So., OH, Russell Sage (Fultonville, NY/Fonda-Fultonville)
Madalyn Bouton, Jr., MB, St. John Fisher (Elmira, NY/Corning-Painted Post)
Peyton Migliacco, Gr., MB, Utica (Suffern, NY/Suffern)
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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