LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference released its 2023 PSAC Women's Volleyball All-Conference Teams and major award winners on Thursday afternoon.
All-Conference Teams and major award winners are determined by a vote of the conference's head coaches.
East Stroudsburg’s Anna Coulter in the Eastern Division and Clarion’s Cassidy Snider in the Western Division were selected as Athletes of the Year. Defensive Players of the Year include ESU’s Makayla Baca (East) and IUP’s Lauren Valentic (West), while the Freshmen of the Year honors went to Shippensburg’s Gracen Nutt in the East and Seton Hill’s Catie Flohr in the West.
The pair of 2023 PSAC Women's Volleyball Coaches of the Year were Lock Haven’s Mike Kraft in the East and Pitt-Johnstown’s Justin Haupt in the West.
In the Western Division, Clarion’s Cassidy Snider earned Athlete of the Year honors after a stellar offensive season that sees her averaging 4.70 kills per set, the most in the PSAC. Her hitting percentage of .281 is ninth-best in the conference, yet her 1180 attempts are near double that of all other hitters in the top 10. Snider has totaled 494 kills in 2023 and also leads the conference in total points with 553 (5.27 per set.)
IUP’s Lauren Valentic earned Western Division Defensive Athlete of the year honors after leading the PSAC in blocks (159), which is the highest total in Division II. Valentic also contributes on the offensive end with 167 total kills at a .292 hitting percentage (eighth-highest in the conference.)
Seton Hill freshman Catie Flohr was selected as Freshman of the Year after totaling 318 kills with a .385 hitting percentage (the second-best mark in the conference.) She was also ninth in the PSAC in total points with 3.62 per set, adding 27 aces and 67 blocks to her season tallies.
The Eastern Division major awards are headlined by East Stroudsburg’s Anna Coulter, who leads the Warriors offense with 308 kills and a PSAC-leading .415 hitting percentage. Her 46 aces and 4.27 points per set were also fifth-best in the conference, and her all-around contributions continued at the net with 81 total blocks. Another Warrior, Makayla Baca, was named Defensive Athlete of the Year after leading the Eastern Division with 4.80 digs per set (456 total.) She was key in helping ESU to the lowest opponent hitting percentage (.131) in the conference.
Shippensburg freshman Gracen Nutt collects Freshman of the Year honors with a standout debut campaign that included a team-leading 319 kills (2.90 per set, 15
th-highest in the conference), 28 service aces, 141 digs, and 21 blocks.
Both Coach of the Year honorees led incredible turnarounds for their respective teams. In the East, Lock Haven’s Mike Kraft took a team that finished 1-24 overall (1-13 PSAC) in 2022 and transformed them into a playoff team for the first time since 2015, finishing 11-13 overall and 5-9 in conference play to secure the East’s No. 4 seed.
In the West, Pitt-Johnstown’s Justin Haupt also took the Mountain Cats (18-11 overall, 8-7 PSAC) to the postseason as a No. 4 seed, a year after UPJ finished second-to-last in the Western Division with a 10-20 overall record (3-13 in conference play.)
For complete lists of all 2023 PSAC Women's Volleyball All-Conference honorees, see below:
2023 PSAC Women's Volleyball All-Conference Eastern Division
Athlete of the Year: Anna Coulter, East Stroudsburg
Defensive Athlete of the Year: Makayla Baca, East Stroudsburg
Freshman of the Year: Gracen Nutt, Shippensburg
Coach of the Year: Mike Kraft, Lock Haven
PSAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL EASTERN DIVISION ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
| Player |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| Makayla Baca^ |
East Stroudsburg |
Sr. |
Santa Fe, N.M. / Capital (Montana State Billings) |
| Anna Coulter* |
East Stroudsburg |
So. |
Hershey, Pa. / Hershey |
| Kearstin Davis^ |
Shippensburg |
So. |
San Antonio, Texas / Reagan |
| Sadie Doss* |
Kutztown |
Gr. |
Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg (West Chester) |
| Taylor Haan |
East Stroudsburg |
Jr. |
Phoenix, Ariz. / Sunnyslope |
| Renee Killough^ |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Bloomery, W.Va. / Hampshire |
| Gracen Nutt |
Shippensburg |
Fr. |
Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg Area |
| Kaitlyn Townsend |
Shippensburg |
Sr. |
Johnstown, Pa. / Richland |
PSAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL EASTERN DIVISION ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
| Player |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| Maddie Clabaugh |
Shippensburg |
Jr. |
Gettysburg, Pa. / Delone Catholic |
| Claire Ellis* |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
Louisa, Va. / Saint Catherine’s School |
| Gabriela Fialova |
Kutztown |
Gr. |
Ledec nad Sazavou, Czech Republic / Sportovni Gymnazium Ludvika Danka (Lock Haven) |
| Kelly Gaston |
Lock Haven |
Jr. |
Centennial, Colo. / Grandview |
| Kaylee LoPresto^ |
East Stroudsburg |
Sr. |
Litchfield Park, Ariz. / Millennium |
| Emma Ludwig |
Millersville |
Jr. |
Boyertown, Pa. Boyertown |
| Jordan Pryor |
Shepherd |
Fr. |
Middletown, Md. / Middletown |
| Taylor Welter |
Millersville |
So. |
Butler, Pa. Butler Area |
* Indicates previous All-PSAC first team selection
^ Indicates previous All-PSAC second team selection
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2023 PSAC Women's Volleyball All-Conference Western Division
Athlete of the Year: Cassidy Snider, Clarion
Defensive Athlete of the Year: Lauren Valentic, IUP
Freshman of the Year: Catie Flohr, Seton Hill
Coach of the Year: Justin Haupt, Pitt-Johnstown
PSAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL WESTERN DIVISION ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
| Player |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| Lualis Alvarado |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Jr. |
San Juan, Puerto Rico / Perkiomen School |
| Nyla Birch |
IUP |
Jr. |
South Charleston, W.Va. / George Washington (Fairmont State) |
| Madde Blake^ |
Gannon |
Sr. |
Crystal Lake, Ill. / Crystal Lake Central |
| Journey Blevins |
Gannon |
Jr. |
Richwood, Ohio / North Union (Findlay) |
| Catie Flohr |
Seton Hill |
Fr. |
Norton, OH / Norton |
| London Fuller** |
Clarion |
R-Sr. |
Baltimore, Md. / Baltimore Polytechnic |
| Cassidy Snider** |
Clarion |
Jr. |
Harmonsburg, Pa. / Conneaut Area |
| Lauren Valentic* |
IUP |
Sr. |
Canonsburg, Pa. / Peters Township (Buffalo) |
PSAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL WESTERN DIVISION ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
| Player |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
| Adiamar Beaz |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Jr. |
San Juan, Puerto Rico / Academia Bautista de Puerto Nuevo |
| Hailey Koch |
Gannon |
Jr. |
Littleton, Col. / Dakota Ridge |
| Emma Hall* |
Gannon |
Jr. |
Lowell, Mich. / Lowell |
| Natalie Pallone |
Edinboro |
Sr. |
Girard, Ohio Girard |
| Mallory Pinske |
Pitt-Johnstown |
So. |
Rock Falls, IL / Rock Falls |
| Elisa Rugiero^ |
California |
So. |
Vicenza, Italy / Farina Vicenza |
| Abigail Selfridge |
Clarion |
R-Sr. |
Bainbridge, N.Y. / Bainbridge-Guilford |
| Erica Selfridge^ |
Slippery Rock |
Jr. |
Dubois, Pa. / Clarion |
* Indicates previous All-PSAC first team selection
^ Indicates previous All-PSAC second team selection