SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman outside hitter Annie Bierman has been named 2015 Southern Conference women's volleyball player of the year, and Chattanooga’s Travis Filar is the coach of the year, as voted on by all nine of the league’s coaches. In addition, UNCG senior Katherine Santiago earned libero of the year status, while fellow Spartan Allison Penner claimed the Rayna Taylor Award, given annually to the league’s freshman of the year.
ETSU, Furman and Chattanooga all placed two student-athletes on the All-SoCon first team, but the regular-season champion Mocs earned the most all-conference selections by placing two more on the second team. UNCG and Samford also had multiple student-athletes earn all-conference honors.
The all-freshman team is headlined by Furman and UNCG, with both schools claiming two representatives each.
Filar’s coach of the year distinction comes on the heels of Chattanooga’s first SoCon regular-season title since 1998. The Mocs posted a 13-3 conference record and went 24-5 overall, thanks in large part to a pair of All-SoCon first-team selections in Allie Davenport and Kristy Wieser. A junior middle blocker, Wieser was second in the league with a hitting percentage of .376. Davenport finished top-five in the conference in kills per set with a 3.38 average.
Senior libero Catherine Chason represents the Mocs on the All-SoCon second team. She is joined by teammate Lauren Greenspoon, a sophomore setter.
Bierman’s player of the year selection follows a junior campaign that saw her post a league-leading 4.38 kills per set for the Paladins. The Hamilton, Ohio, native, who tallied 17 double-doubles during the regular season, also flashed her versatility, averaging 3.62 digs per set. Bierman is joined on the all-conference first team by teammate Jo Wilks, who dished out 1,055 assists and was second in the league with an average of 11.34 assists per set. She is second among active players in the NCAA with 5,065 career assists.
Middle blocker Carris Campbell and outside hitter Jamila Johnson represent the Paladins as members of the all-freshman team.
UNCG hauled in a number of honors, headlined by Santiago taking the libero of the year award and Penner earning freshman of the year distinction. Santiago, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, led the conference with an average of 4.84 digs per set and appeared in all but one match for the Spartans. Penner, a setter from Aurora, Neb., led the league with an average of 11.37 assists per set. This is the second year in a row a UNCG player has nabbed freshman of the year honors, as first-team All-SoCon selection Ashley Muench won the award last year.
Santiago and junior outside hitter Jessica Brezwyn were named to the All-SoCon second team for the Spartans, while Penner is joined by middle hitter Jasmine Jones on the all-freshman team.
ETSU placed representatives on each team. Sophomore outside hitter Rylee Milhorn and Khadijah Wiley, a senior middle blocker, both grabbed spots on the All-SoCon first team, while junior outside hitter Briana Allmon earned second-team all-conference honors. Wiley led the SoCon with 1.30 blocks per set and garnered defensive player of the month honors for September.
Libero Hailey Aguilar snagged a spot on the all-freshman team for the Bucs.
Samford had two second- team selections in junior Erin Bognar and redshirt sophomore T.J. Russell. Outside hitter Kate Neisler made the all-freshman team for the Bulldogs.
Middle blocker Paige Alsten represents Mercer on the all-freshman team. She averaged 1.24 blocks per set on the season.
The Southern Conference Volleyball Championship will begin Saturday on the campus of Western Carolina in Cullowhee, N.C. Action kicks off at 9:30 a.m. ET with a showdown between eighth-seeded Western Carolina and ninth-seeded The Citadel. Chattanooga is the top seed in the tournament and will face the winner of that match in the quarterfinal round. The championship match is slated for Monday at 6 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
2015 SoCon All-Conference Teams and Awards
Player of the Year – Annie Bierman, Furman, Jr., OH
Libero of the Year – Katherine Santiago, UNCG, Sr., LIB
Rayna Taylor Freshman of the Year – Allison Penner, UNCG, S
Coach of the Year – Travis Filar, Chattanooga
All-SoCon First Team
Rylee Milhorn, ETSU, So., OH
Khadijah Wiley, ETSU, Sr., MB
Annie Bierman, Furman, Jr., OH
Jo Wilks, Furman, Sr., S
Ashley Muench, UNCG, So., OH
Allie Davenport, Chattanooga, Jr., OH
Kristy Wieser, Chattanooga, Jr., MB
All-SoCon Second Team
Briana Allmon, ETSU, Jr., OH
Jessica Brezwyn, UNCG, Jr., OH
Katherine Santiago, UNCG, Sr., DS
Erin Bognar, Samford, Jr., OH
T.J. Russell, Samford, R-So., MB
Catherine Chason, Chattanooga, Sr., LIB
Lauren Greenspoon, Chattanooga, So., S
All-Freshman Team
Hailey Aguilar, ETSU, LIB
Carris Campbell, Furman, MB
Jamila Johnson, Furman, OH
Paige Alsten, Mercer, MB
Jasmine Jones, UNCG, MH
Allison Penner, UNCG, S
Kate Neisler, Samford, OH
-www.SoConSports.com-