TAMPA, Fla. – The 2026 All-Sun Conference Beach Volleyball Teams and Specialty Award winners were announced Thursday morning following a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches.

Cassidy Casey and Olivia Fenstermaker of New College of Florida have been named the Pair of the Year. Competing at the No. 1 position, the duo went undefeated in conference play, dropping just one set throughout the season.

They helped lead the Banyans to an outright Sun Conference Regular Season Championship. Casey, a senior, was also named the league’s Player of the Year, while Fenstermaker earned Freshman of the Year honors in her debut season. As stated by Head Coach Alison Denney, the pair has distinguished itself within the conference through its level of play and consistency at the top position.

Leah Cooley of Warner has been named a Champion of Character recipient. A four-year member of the beach volleyball program, Cooley has competed on the No. 1 pair for the past three seasons while also serving as a team captain.

She has led team devotions and Bible studies and served the athletics department as a team liaison and graduate student. Cooley was also instrumental in organizing and leading the team’s mission trip to the Island of Abaco, where the group mentored athletes through a volleyball camp and assisted local churches in serving the community. As stated by Head Coach Linda Pai, Cooley is a respected leader within the program and is recognized for her approach to leadership and service.

Alison Denney of New College of Florida has been named Coach of the Year. In her second year at the helm, Denney led the Mighty Banyans to a Sun Conference Regular Season Championship, finishing undefeated at 11-0 in conference play and securing one of two Sun Conference bids to the NAIA National Invitational. New College posted an 11-2 overall record, with losses only to NCAA Division I Nebraska (4-1) and Division II Eckerd (3-2). Denney also coached three pairs to First Team All-Conference recognition this season.

Ave Maria, the Sun Conference Regular Season runner-up, placed two pairs on the All-Conference teams, with Beatriz Rissi and Maria Teixeira earning First Team honors and Abbey Grose and Maylis DeTar recognized on the Second Team. Rissi and Teixeira went undefeated during the season while competing at the No. 4 position.

Loyola New Orleans, the No. 3 seed in the upcoming tournament, earned a First Team selection in Amaya Bazemore and Isabella Rodrigue, who also completed an undefeated season at the No. 4 spot. Mobile placed one pair on the Second Team with Jaci Drinnon and Rachel Dunaway. St. Thomas had two pairs earn Second Team recognition, while Warner added one pair to the Second Team.

The Sun Conference Tournament Championship begins Friday, April 10 at 9:00 a.m. and concludes with the Championship Match scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 11. For more information on this year’s championship, click here.

* - Repeat All-Conference honorees from last year

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