LA VERNE, CA — The No. 19 University of La Verne volleyball team earned five All-SCIAC selections headlined by
Mya Ray who earned SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Year, and head coach
Jeff Hendershot for SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced on Tuesday.
Complete All-SCIAC List
"I'm really proud of this team and the work they have put in to achieve the success we have had to date. It's great for our players to get recognized by the conference for their performances this season. It's pretty incredible to have such a young core of players doing the things they have done," said University of La Verne volleyball head coach
Jeff Hendershot.
Ray took SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Year honors after another dominating regular season. The sophomore, who last year earned
AVCA All-American,
AVCA All-West Region, AVCA West Region Freshman of the Year,
SCIAC Newcomer of the Year, and First Team All-SCIAC honors added to her already crowded trophy case. The Pomona native led the SCIAC with 425 kills overall, almost 100 more than the next closest player, and 263 kills in conference play. She also ranked first with an average of 4.87 kills per set in SCIAC competition with a .260 hitting percentage. She also added 3.09 digs and 0.52 blocks per set.
Hendershot and assistant coaches
Randi Taylor-Toomay,
Mario Meza, and
Jack Coberly were tabbed Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the Leopards to a No. 2 seed in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament and returning La Verne to the national ranks for the first time since 2018. In SCIAC competition, the Leopards lead the conference in total kills (763), total points (973), and total assists (718). They also rank second in almost every other major statistical category including points per set (18.02), hitting percentage (.226), assists per set (13.30), kills per set (14.13), aces per set (1.94), total aces (105), and opponent kills per set (10.46).
"I have three legitimate head coaches helping me," said Hendershot. "Every one of them could be running their own program, so I am incredibly fortunate to have them by my side helping to run this program."
Along with Ray, freshmen
Lauren Gott and
Malia Capistrano earned First Team All-SCIAC recognition. Gott ranked third in the conference with 186 kills, 3.44 kills per set, and 3.94 points per set. Capistrano led the SCIAC with 568 assists and ranked second with 10.52 assists per set in conference games.
Ayana Mier picked up Second Team All-SCIAC honors for the third straight season. The graduate student ranks 10th in the conference with a .256 hitting percentage. She also has the third most kills in conference play on the Leopards' squad with 119.
The Leopards continue their season this Thursday, November 11 when they host Pomona-Pitzer in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament Semifinals at 7 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $8 using this link or purchased at the door for $10, cash only. SCIAC students, faculty, and staff with institutional ID and children under 12 are free.
