Four Schools Earn GLVC Volleyball Major Awards

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INDIANAPOLIS – Quincy University senior attacker Emma Wijnbergen, Rockhurst University senior libero Maureen Reilly, University of Missouri-St. Louis freshman attacker Alayna Santel, and Maryville University head coach Gretchen Moser have earned major postseason honors for the 2024 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Volleyball season, the league office announced on Thursday.

Wijnbergen was named Player of the Year, Reilly earned Libero of the Year, Santel garnered Freshman of the Year, and Moser was dubbed Coach of the Year by her peers. In total, 28 student-athletes claimed All-Conference honors, while 14 were chosen as GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship honorees for the sport and Truman State University was selected as the team sportsmanship award winner.

The All-Conference awards are nominated and voted on by league coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own players.
 
Player of the Year: Emma Wijnbergen, Senior, Attacker, Quincy

• Wins the first Player of the Year award for Quincy.
• Currently tied for third all-time in GLVC history in single season kills with 555.
• Led league in kills per set (5.29) in 105 sets played.
  • Fifth in GLVC history in kills in a single match when she had 32 against Winona State on Sept. 13.
• Led league in GLVC-only matches with 248 kills, 5.06 per set in 49 sets played.
• Registered ten doubles-doubles this season, including six in Conference play.
• Achieved 20 or more kills in 15 matches, including five in Conference play.
• Won Molten GLVC Offensive Player of the Week three times (Sept. 9, Oct. 7, Nov. 11).
• Helped 20th-ranked Hawks secure a share of the GLVC Regular Season title and top seed in GLVC Championship Tournament.
• Named to the All-GLVC First Team for the third time in her career and third All-Conference selection.

 
Libero of the Year: Maureen Reilly, Graduate Student, Rockhurst

• Wins Libero of the Year for a third year running and becomes Rockhurst’s 12th overall major award winner.
• Placed second in the GLVC for digs per set (5.72) and third overall in total digs (549) in 96 sets played.
• Led the Conference in digs per set (6.06) and total digs (309) through 51 Conference sets.
• Placed third in service aces with 40 total (0.42/set), 19 (0.19/set) coming in Conference play.
• Added 145 total assists (1.51/set) with 70 (1.37/set) coming in GLVC matches.
• Named Molten GLVC Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 4.
• Also named to All-GLVC First Team for her fourth career All-Conference selection and third on the First Team.

 
Freshman of the Year: Alayna Santel, Attacker, Missouri-St. Louis

• Becomes Missouri-St. Louis’s second-ever Freshman of the Year, joining Weslie Gaff in 2008 to earn the honor.
  • Earns 10th overall major award for the Tritons.
• Placed ninth in the league with 355 kills and 10th in kills per set with 3.62 over 98 sets.
  • Added 23 service aces and 51 blocks for 406.5 points, 4.15 per set, good enough for 10th in the Conference.
• Finished tied for ninth in the league in 50 GLVC-only sets with 18 service aces, 0.36 per set.
  • Contributed 181 kills for 3.62 per set and 25 blocks for 0.50 per set in Conference matches.
• Named Molten GLVC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 23.

 
Coach of the Year: Gretchen Moser, Maryville

• Voted by her peers as Coach of the Year, marking her first career accolade as the top league coach.
  • First major award winner for the Saints.
• Led Maryville to a 17-10 overall record and 11-2 GLVC record, tying their Division-II school record with 17 victories and setting their highest amount of GLVC victories in a season with 11.
  • Claimed a share of the GLVC Regular Season title for the first time in school history and earned the second seed in the GLVC Championship Tournament.
• Moser guided two All-GLVC First Team members this season, junior attacker Ella Brinkman, and fifth-year senior libero Taylor Hasbrook.

Joining Brinkmann and Hasbrook on the First Team were three student-athletes from Quincy University including GLVC Player of the Year, senior attacker Emma Wijnbergen, sophomore attacker Susanna Beretti, and freshman setter Elena Kasavica. University of Missouri-St. Louis and Rockhurst landed two each on the top list, including GLVC Freshman of the Year, Alayna Santel, and junior setter Caitlin Bishop for the Tritons, and GLVC Libero of the Year, graduate student Maureen Reilly, and graduate student attacker Tera Reberry for Rockhurst. Rounding out the list was Illinois Springfield redshirt freshman attacker Makenna Cox, University of Indianapolis redshirt-junior setter Clare Morris, Lewis  University graduate student attacker Bella Ray, Upper Iowa University graduate student attacker Zoe Semelroth, and William Jewell College senior attacker Bella LaPorta.
 
Truman State earned the sport’s GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Team Award, while 14 student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior were also recognized. These individuals must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees from full-time GLVC member institutions are now eligible to become one of their school's two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced at the end of the academic year.
 
A complete list of the 2024 All-GLVC team and postseason honors can be found below.
 
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Emma Wijnbergen, Sr., Att., Quincy
LIBERO OF THE YEAR: Maureen Reilly, Gr., Rockhurst
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Alayna Santel, Att., Missouri-St. Louis
COACH OF THE YEAR: Gretchen Moser, Maryville
 

FIRST TEAM Makenna Cox, Attacker, R-Fr., UIS Claire Morris, Setter, R-Jr., UINDY Bella Ray, Attacker, Gr., LEWIS Ella Brinkmann, Attacker, Jr., MU Taylor Hasbrook, Libero, 5th, MU Caitlin Bishop, Setter, Jr., UMSL Alayna Santel, Attacker, Fr., UMSL Susanna Beretti, Attacker, So., QU Elena Kasavica, Setter, Fr., QU Emma Wijnbergen, Attacker, Sr., QU Tera Reberry, Attacker, Gr., RU Maureen Reilly, Libero, Gr., RU Zoe Semelroth, Attacker, Gr., UIU Bella LaPorta, Attacker, Sr., WJC

SECOND TEAM Eirini Glynou, Attacker, Sr., UIS Erica Sledge, Setter, Jr., UIS Sophia Parlanti, Attacker, Sr., UINDY Ally Hickey, Libero, Gr., LEWIS Destiny Gray, Attacker, Jr., MCK Alina Carrillo, Attacker, Sr., S&T Hannah Copeland, Attacker, Jr., UMSL Iyannah Jackson, Attacker, Jr., UMSL Skylar Weaver, Libero, So., UMSL Sarah Montague, Setter, Gr., RU Ali Olson, Attacker, So., RU Sarah Pyle, Attacker, Jr., RU Ella Rademaker, Attacker, Jr., SBU Nicole Pozorski, Setter, Gr., UIU

 

 

 

GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Kayli Duncan, DU

Kendall Johnson, UIS

Lauren Peal, UINDY

Elena Gubera, LEWIS

Alyssa Koska, MU

Amber Williams, MCK

Belle Monaco, S&T

Trysta Foster, UMSL

Makayla Eckel, QU

Molly Trachta, RU

Rory Stanley, SBU

Hannah Hosty, TSU

Emily Kono, UIU

Bella LaPorta, WJC

GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD TEAM WINNER
Truman State