Panthers Pile Up Awards
The Greenville University team can put another feather in their cap in 2022, becoming the first program in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference history to sweep the major individual awards in volleyball. Leading the way is libero Chasity Hill. A senior, Hill becomes just the second player in SLIAC history to win both the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. Hill led the Panthers with 250 digs over 12 conference matches, averaging a league-leading 6.10 digs per set. She had seven 20-dig outings this season during conference play with a high of 32 digs and had double-digit digs in all but one match. This is her second Defensive Player of the Year award and the fifth time a Panther has won the award. She joins Kristen Farrah (Webster University, 2018) as the only player to win both the Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards.
While Hill commanded the back row for the Panthers it was middle blocker Lainey Hicks that excelled at the net, winning the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year award. Hicks, a freshman, is the eighth Panther to win the award and the first since Anna Finch in 2017. Hicks totaled 70 kills and 42 blocks in her 12 conference matches, hitting .245. She averaged 1.71 kills and 1.02 blocks per set; leading the league in total blocks. She had multiple blocks in 10 conference matches this fall with a high of nine total blocks.
After going undefeated in conference play in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history Tom Ackerman is the 2022 SLIAC Coach of the Year. The Panthers finished 14-0 this season in the SLIAC, winning their fifth consecutive conference regular season championship. The Panthers are 22-6 overall this season and with back-to-back undefeated conference seasons are just the fourth team to accomplish that feat in conference history.
This year's Team Sportsmanship award goes to Webster University as voted on by league coaches. This marks just the second time the Gorlok program has been recognized for its sportsmanship, joining the 2011 team.
| First Team | |||||||
| Name | School | Yr | Hometown/High School | ||||
| Malena Bixby | Westminster | Jr | New Berlin, Ill./New Berlin | ||||
| Mia Bonacorsi | Greenville | Sr | Weldon Spring, Mo./Fort Zumwalt East | ||||
| Hannah Gallagher | Fontbonne | Jr | St. Peters, Mo./Francis Howell | ||||
| Cassie Gray | Webster | So | Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge | ||||
| Chasity Hill | Greenville | Sr | Smithton, Ill./Freeburg | ||||
| Kaylee Portell | Webster | Sr | Festus, Mo./St. Pius X | ||||
| Eryka Wanyonyi | Westminster | Sr | Columbia, Mo./Hickman | ||||
| Ella Werner-Click | Fontbonne | Jr | Springfield, Mo./Parkview | ||||
| Second Team | |||||||
| Name | School | Yr | Hometown/High School | ||||
| Lainey Hicks | Greenville | Fr | Pana, Ill./Pana | ||||
| Kristen Kaempfe | Fontbonne | So | Perryville, Mo./Perryville | ||||
| Emma Leppien | Webster | Sr | St. Charles, Mo./Luthern St. Charles | ||||
| Haley Menke | Westminster | Sr | O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West | ||||
| Sacorra Patton | Greenville | Sr | Lebanon, Tenn./Lebanon | ||||
| Emma Pramik | Fontbonne | Sr | Creve Coeur, Mo./Parkway North | ||||
| Third Team |
|||||||
| Name | School | Yr | Hometown/High School | ||||
| Ella Clark | Spalding | Fr | Louisville, Ky./Homeschool | ||||
| Jadyn Fitzgerald | Fontbonne | Sr | Oates, Mo./Lesterville | ||||
| Amanda Hollis | Greenville | Jr | Mount Juliet, Tenn./Elanor Roosevelt | ||||
| Abby Jacobs | Webster | Fr | Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head | ||||
| Jessica Muckensturm | Blackburn | So | Belleville, Ill./Belleville West | ||||
| Meghan Nolte | Westminster | Fr | Wentzville, Mo./Wentzville | ||||
| Kate Rable | Westminster | Sr | St. Peters, Mo./Fort Zumwalt South |
All-Sportsmanship Team
| Name | School | |
| Elizabeth Bowyer | Blackburn | |
| Hope McGinnes | Eureka | |
| Kelly Herr | Fontbonne | |
| Kaitlin Murray | Greenville | |
| Alana Hinson | Principia | |
| Jayda Branch | Spalding | |
| Katie Eskildson | Webster | |
| Kate Rable | Westminster |
