TAMPA, Fla. – The Sun Conference announces its major award winners for the 2024 volleyball season.
Keiser's Mackenzie Pryor has been honored as the Sun Conference Player of the Year. Pryor not only leads the conference in kills and kills per set but also ranks first nationally in both categories. She has amassed 582 kills this season, including 246 in conference play, with an impressive average of 5.15 kills per set overall and 4.92 in conference games. Pryor also holds the top spot in the conference and nationally for total points and points per set. Additionally, she ranks first in the conference for service aces (18), ninth in total digs (157), and tenth in digs per set (3.14). A standout performer, Pryor has been named SUN Attacker of the Week nine times and NAIA Attacker of the Week twice this season.
St. Thomas's Payton Bertke has been named Setter of the Year for the second consecutive season. Bertke orchestrates the Bobcats' offense, which boasts a team hitting percentage of .323, and played a key role in leading STU to its fourth straight Regular Season Title. She ranks first in the conference and fifth nationally in assists per set (10.88). Bertke is also an offensive threat, recording 44 kills in conference play this season. Like Pryor, Bertke has been honored as SUN Setter of the Week nine times this season.
St. Thomas's Bianca Grassi has been named Libero of the Year for the fourth consecutive season, earning this honor every year of her career at STU and in the Sun Conference. Grassi leads the conference in digs per set and ranks 16th nationally in the category. A vital contributor to STU's championship-winning lineup, Grassi achieved an impressive 98.3% reception percentage in conference play while also contributing 43 assists and 16 aces.
Keiser's Emma Friese has been named Freshman of the Year. In her debut season in the SUN, Friese started every match for the Seahawks. A Second Team All-SUN honoree, she ranks 17th in blocks per set and 22nd in hitting percentage. This season, Friese contributed 78 kills, 31 blocks, 29 assists, and 23 digs in conference play.
Southeastern's Alexandra Postlethwaite has been honored with this year’s Champion of Character award. As a team captain, Postlethwaite led the Fire to a second-place finish in the regular season standings. Beyond her leadership on the court, she is a full-time nursing student who dedicates her time to serving the community—checking on elders, administering flu shots, and more. Her head coach, Amanda Phelps, described her as "the definition of a servant leader."
Keiser's Andrew Sydow has been named this year's Assistant Coach of the Year. Sydow dedicates countless hours to uploading and analyzing team film, and his recruiting efforts have brought in the past two Sun Conference Players of the Year. Under his guidance, the team has improved in multiple statistical categories, including hitting percentage, kills per set, digs per set, and blocks per set, compared to last season. He has also been instrumental in strengthening the team's defense, limiting opponents to fewer kills per set and a lower hitting percentage than in previous seasons. During his six-year tenure, Sydow has helped lead the Seahawks to an impressive 171-59 (.743) record.
St. Thomas's Head Coach Whitney Battoe has been named this year's Coach of the Year. This marks Battoe's third Sun Conference Coach of the Year award, earned after leading the Bobcats to the first undefeated season by an NAIA-sponsored sport in STU history. The team enters the Sun Conference Championship Semifinals with a perfect 28-0 record. Battoe achieved her 100th victory as the Bobcats' head coach on October 26, the day after her induction into STU's Athletic Hall of Fame. This is her fifth major honor from the Sun Conference, as she was previously recognized as Player of the Year in both 2017 and 2015.
2024 Sun Conference Volleyball Award Winners
Player of the Year
Mackenzie Pryor, Keiser
Setter of the Year
Payton Bertke, St. Thomas
Libero of the Year
Bianca Grassi, St. Thomas
Freshman of the Year
Emma Friese, Keiser
Champion of Character
Alexandra Postlethwaite, Southeastern
Assistant Coach of the Year
Andrew Sydow, Keiser
Coach of the Year
Whitney Battoe, St. Thomas
Click here to view all of this year's All-Conference honorees.
The 2024 Sun Conference Volleyball Championship resumes on Friday, November 15th with two semifinal matchups. No. 4 seeded New College of Florida will take on top-seeded St. Thomas on their home floor at 4:00 p.m. while No. 3 seeded Keiser will face No. 2 Southeastern at 6:00 p.m. The Championship Match will take place in Miami Gardens at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 16th. For more information on the 2024 Sun Conference Volleyball Tournament,
click here.
ABOUT THE SUN CONFERENCE
Now entering its 35th year, The Sun Conference, a 501c3 organization, continues to be one of the most successful intercollegiate athletic conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Under the guidance of Commissioner Dustin Wilke, the league sponsors championships in 24 NAIA sports. Learn more at thesunconference.com
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