INDIANAPOLIS – Missouri-St. Louis trio of senior libero Skylar Weaver, junior outside Alayna Santel, sophomore setter Marly Burbach, as well as Maryville freshman outside Emma Keele and Indianapolis head coach Haley Case have earned major postseason honors for the 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Volleyball season, the league office announced on Wednesday.
Santel was named Player of the Year, Burbach was awarded Setter of the Year, Weaver earned Libero of the Year, Keele garnered Freshman of the Year, and Case 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 William Jewell 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: Alayna Santel, Jr., Att., Missouri-St. Louis
- Wins her first career Player of the Year award, sixth overall in Missouri-St. Louis history.
- Season high 28 kills and 32.5 points on Sept. 19 vs. Drury.
- Currently second in the league with 3.82 kills per set and leading the GLVC in service ace average with 0.51.
- Won GLVC Offensive Player of the Week two times (Sept. 21, Oct. 12)
- Helped the Tritons secure a share of the GLVC Regular Season title with a 11-2 record and third seed in GLVC Championship Tournament.
- Named to the All-GLVC First Team for the third time in her career.
Setter of the Year: Marly Burbach, So., S, Missouri-St. Louis
- Wins her first Setter of the Year award.
- Ranks sixth in Division II in assists per set (10.90).
- Won GLVC Setter of the Week five times (Aug. 31, Sept. 14, Sept. 21, Oct. 5, Oct. 12)
- Assists one of the top offenses in the GLVC with Missouri-St. Louis fourth in points per set (17.78), third in hitting percentage (.259), and third in kills per set (13.55).
- Named to All-GLVC First Team for the first time in her career.
Libero of the Year: Skylar Weaver, Senior, Missouri-St. Louis
- Wins Missouri-St. Louis’ third Libero of the Year accolade.
- Led the GLVC in digs per set (5.51) and total digs (528) in 49 sets played.
- Named GLVC Defensive Player of the Week two times (Sept. 28, Oct. 12).
- Has earned Defensive Player of the Week seven times total.
- Helped Tritons secure a share of the GLVC Regular Season title and the third seed in GLVC Championship Tournament.
- Named to All-GLVC First Team for the second time in her career.
Freshman of the Year: Emma Keele, Att., Maryville
- Becomes Maryville’s first Freshman of the Year.
- Earns second overall major award for the Saints.
- Led the saints with 281 kills and is second on the squad with 347 digs and 36 service aces on the season.
- Recorded double-digit kills in 11 matches with 9 double-doubles.
- Assisted the fourth place digs per set (17.81) defense in the league during conference play.
- A part of the No. 4 seed Saints team in the 2026 GLVC Volleyball Championship Tournament.
Coach of the Year: Haley Case, Indianapolis
- Voted by her peers as Coach of the Year in just her second season with the program.
- Led Indianapolis to a 24-4 overall record and 11-2 GLVC record.
- Claimed a share of the GLVC Regular Season title and earned the top seed in the GLVC Championship Tournament.
- Case guided senior libero Macy Bruton and junior attacker Maddie Lynch to First Team status.
Joining Missouri-St. Louis’ Santel, Burbach, and Weaver on the First Team were UMSL’s Maggie Johnson, the Drury duo of junior setter Jacy Bray and sophomore attacker Skylar Hilton. Indianapolis senior libero Macy Bruton and junior attacker Maddie Lynch, the Rockhurst duo of senior attacker Alyssa McDonald and junior attacker Delaney Hope, and Lewis’ senior attacker Sarah Newberry also earned First Team accolades. Truman’s trio of senior setter Tori Creason, junior attacker Autumn Erickson, and junior attacker Laci Neece round out the First Team.
William Jewell 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 2026 All-GLVC team and postseason honors can be found below.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Alayna Santel, Jr., Att., Missouri-St. Louis
SETTER OF THE YEAR: Marly Burbach, So., S, Missouri-St. Louis
LIBERO OF THE YEAR: Skylar Weaver, Sr., Missouri-St. Louis
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Emma Keele, Att., Maryville
COACH OF THE YEAR: Haley Case, Indianapolis
| FIRST TEAM |
SECOND TEAM |
| Jacy Bray, Jr., S, DU |
Abby Renshaw, Jr., Att., DU |
| Skylar Hilton, So., Att., DU |
Allison Jansen, Sr., Att., UINDY |
| Macy Bruton, Sr., L, UINDY |
Amaree Haralson, Fr., S, UINDY |
| Maddie Lynch, Jr., Att., UINDY |
Marin Grossman, Jr., Att., LEWIS |
| Sarah Newberry, Sr., Att., LEWIS |
Emma Keele, Fr., Att., MU |
| Marly Burbach, So., S, UMSL |
Mallory Sell, So., L, MU |
| Maggie Johnson, Jr., Att., UMSL |
Bridget Cassady, So., Att., UMSL |
| Alayna Santel, Jr., Att., UMSL |
Brooklyn Young, Sr., Att., UMSL |
| Skylar Weaver, Sr., L, UMSL |
Aysem Kocaalp, Fr., Att., QU |
| Alyssa McDonald, Sr., Att., RU |
Ali Olson, Sr., Att., RU |
| Delaney Hope, Jr., Att., RU |
Molly Trachta, Sr., S, RU |
| Tori Creason, Sr., S, TSU |
Gabriela Dupree, So., Att., SBU |
| Autumn Erickson, Jr., Att., TSU |
Morgan Block, Jr., L, UIU |
| Laci Neece, Jr., Att., TSU |
Grace Fruzen, Jr., S, UIU |
JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Gracie Kimrey, DU
Makenna Cox, UIS
Addi Eisenmann, UINDY
Olivia Opstad, LEWIS
Delaney Lemay, MU
Lexi Hoffman, MCK
Adelyn Weiler, S&T
Reese Baker, UMSL
Milica Stamenic, QU
Bailey Turner, RU
Allie Hawk, SBU
Skylar Holler, TSU
Alexis Moses, UIU
Allie Vanderbeek, WJC
JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD TEAM WINNER
William Jewell