NAC Announces Women's Volleyball Awards

11/6/2023 10:40:34 AM

WATERVILLE, Maine – SUNY Morrisville junior Emily Huppee was selected as the 2023 North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, her teammate, sophomore Kayla Sheasby, was chosen as the Defensive Player of the Year, as voted by the conference’s head coaches.

Sydney Williams of Maine Maritime Academy was tabbed for Rookie of the Year honors. Piper Bolner of Eastern Nazarene College and Makenna Middleton of Maine Maritime were named the Co-Women’s Volleyball Senior Scholar Athlete for the 2023 season.

Derek Schmitt of Eastern Nazarene was selected as the Coach of the Year, in the first season for the Lions in the North Atlantic Conference.

Huppee, an outside hitter, led Morrisville to an 8-2 NAC record in the regular season and 17-12 overall slate behind her offensive prowess on the court. The junior leads the NAC in kills per set, is fifth overall in hitting percentage and first in points. Across league competition, she averaged 6.05 points per set, 5.36 kills per set, hit .331 from the floor, collected 16 service aces, while assisting with nine blocks and 57 digs in conference play. Huppee currently ranks second overall in NCAA Division III in kills per set, points, points per set and ranked third in total kills. She is a two-time United East All-Conference honoree, and 2022 Player of the Year, and also was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American. Overall, Huppee has averaged 5.66 points per set, 4.99 kills per set, hit .277 from the floor, and took more than 1,100 swings, while collecting 44 service aces, 216 digs and 33 total blocks. She is a four-time NAC Offensive Player of the Week recipient in the 2023 season.

Sheasby led Morrisville defensively throughout the season at libero, leading the NAC in overall digs per set, while currently ranking 22nd in NCAA Division III in total digs and 49th in digs per set. The six-time NAC Defensive Player of the Week selection collected 156 digs in 10 league matches, an average of 4.73 digs per set, while contributing 43 assists to the Mustangs game. Across the year she averaged 5.15 digs per set, collected a total 510 digs, while adding 81 assists and 33 service aces to her totals. She was six-time recipient of the NAC Defensive Player of the Week award this season.

Williams, a freshman outside hitter, ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage (.465) and second in kills per set (3.60). She is third in total points with 4.14 per set. Overall, Williams is currently third in hitting (.329), third in kills per set (3.19) and fourth in total points (3.66). Williams received three NAC Rookie of the Week honors in 2023.

Eastern Nazarene’s Bolner, a Co-Senior Scholar Athlete for NAC volleyball, currently has a 3.987 cumulative grade point average and is on track to graduate from ENC in three years with a degree in History with Pre-Law concentration. She received the Outstanding Freshman in History award and has been named to the Dean's List all four semesters at ENC. She was recently inducted to Chi Alpha Sigma. Bolner has been a three-year starter at ENC, having won two previous conference championships in the NECC. She has served as a Team Captain for the 2023 season. Bolner was elected to Executive SGA for the 2023-24 school year. She served as a Teaching Assistant for a summer at Arlington High School where she graduated from. She also volunteered her time in the “Trash Bash” initiative in her hometown where she would pick up trash on the road. At ENC, she volunteered at the Brickley Center (Health & Counseling Services) sorting clothes for the needy. This past August, she traveled with the entire ENC Women's Volleyball team for a mission trip where the team did service projects, including leading volleyball clinics, distributing food to the needy, painting a volleyball court, spending time with children at a day care, and more. Bolner has exemplified the term “student-athlete” throughout her time at ENC and has found numerous ways to lead and to give of her time.

Maine Maritime’s Middleton, a Co-Senior Scholar Athlete for NAC volleyball, currently has a 3.77 cumulative grade point average and is pursuing degrees in both Marine Biology and Small Vessel Operations. She has 32 service aces on the season as well as 134 digs, 1.76 digs per set. Over the course of her three seasons (& a COVID year), she has been named Leader of the Year for MMA volleyball twice. Middleton is a certified firefighter and also tutors chemistry and DASS across the campus. She holds many boat handling certifications as well as several dive certifications. Middleton has completed summer internships in each of her summers between academic semesters. These internships include a Scientific Diver in-training at Rosario Beach Marine Lab in Anacortes, Washington, Crocodile Research Coalition intern in Placencia, Belize and Veterinary Assistant at the Prairie Animal Hospital in Peoria, Illinois.

Schmitt was tabbed for NAC Coach of the Year honors after leading the Lions to a 27-2 overall record (entering the NAC Championship). ENC was 10-0 in the conference regular season. He is in his 10^th season at Eastern Nazarene. This is the third straight season that Schmidt has won a coach of the year honor as he was the NECC Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2022.

In addition to the major conference awards, 20 student-athletes were named to the All-Conference teams, and 12 individuals were named to the NAC Women’s Volleyball Sportsmanship Team. Selection to the Sportsmanship Team is reserved for those who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees have positively affected the women’s volleyball culture and game environment by clearly demonstrating sportsmanship and integrity beyond the volleyball rules and etiquette.

2023 Women’s Volleyball All-Conference

Player of the Year – Emily Huppee, SUNY Morrisville
Defensive Player of the Year – Kayla Sheasby, SUNY Morrisville
Rookie of the Year – Sydney Williams, Maine Maritime
Co-Senior Scholar Athlete – Piper Bolner, Eastern Nazarene, Makenna Middleton, Maine Maritime
Coach of the Year – Derek Schmitt, Eastern Nazarene

First Team
Telma Zelaya, Eastern Nazarene
Emily Huppee, SUNY Morrisville
Ila Smith, Maine Maritime
Sydney Williams, Maine Maritime
Katie Albritton, Maine Maritime
Maria Clarabuch, Eastern Nazarene
Kayla Sheasby, SUNY Morrisville

Second Team
Andrea Aceituno, Eastern Nazarene
Alexis Miranda, SUNY Cobleskill
Janna Preskorn, Husson
Cheyenne Young, Husson
Shantee Siliezar, Eastern Nazarene
Syndey Rich, Maine Maritime
Amanda Pierce, Eastern Nazarene

Third Team
Eliana Baran, Eastern Nazarene
Annabel Frieden, Maine Maritime
Keelin Baker, SUNY Morrisville
Hannah Taylor, SUNY Morrisville
Chloe Elsenbeck, SUNY Delhi
Lydia McDonough, SUNY Cobleskill

Sportsmanship Team
Eastern Nazraene - Nareichka Melendez
Husson – Alyvia McIntyre
Lesley - Renee Hatch
Maine Maritime – Sam Urch
SUNY Canton – Sarah Towles
SUNY Cobleskill – Kathleen Smart
SUNY Delhi – Stephanie Burke
SUNY Morrisville - Kamryn Roher
SUNY Poly – Brennah Durfee
UMaine-Presque Isle – Amalia Erives
VTSU Johnson – Natalia Medina
VTSU Lyndon – Charlotte Morris