Courtesy: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Florida State junior outside hitter Payton Caffrey has been named the 2018 ACC Volleyball Player of the Year and headlines the All-ACC Team announced Monday. The awards were based on a vote of the league’s 15 head coaches, who could not vote for their own student-athletes.
There were two repeat winners, as ACC Champion Pitt’s Dan Fisher took home Coach of the Year honors for the second straight season, and Louisville’s Wilma Rivera earned her second consecutive Setter of the Year laurels.
Notre Dame libero Ryann DeJarld was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Polina Shemanova, Syracuse’s rookie outside hitter, was tabbed as the Freshman of the Year.
Caffrey leads the conference in kills per set at 4.36, and points per set with 4.92. The Chuluota, Florida, native totaled 462 kills and 521.5 points on the season, both best in the league. Caffrey is the first Seminole since Ashley Neff in 2012 to win the award.
The awards just keep piling up for @paytonjcaffrey…
Payton is the 2018 ACC Player of the Year!
📰 » https://t.co/58JSw9qtrZ #GoNoles | #WarriorOn
— FSU Volleyball (@FSU_Volleyball) November 26, 2018
Rivera’s second consecutive Setter of the Year honor marks the third time in the last four years the award has gone to a Louisville Cardinal, with Katie George receiving the honor in 2015. Rivera, a Louisville native leads the ACC in assists per set with 11.12. She ranks second in the league with 1,212 total assists.
Back ✌🏼 Back!
Congrats to Wilma Rivera for earning her second consecutive Setter of the Year accolade! #L1C4
📝 https://t.co/M25SFKH3Bk pic.twitter.com/AiE6GTTs09
— Louisville Volleyball (@UofLVolleyball) November 26, 2018
DeJarld is the first Notre Dame student-athlete to be named Defensive Player of the Year. The senior from Chicago ranks first in the ACC in digs per set with 5.02, and total digs with 532. DeJarld leads an Irish squad that holds the top spot in the league in digs per set (16.25), total digs (1723) and opponent hitting percentage (.164).
• Ryann DeJarld: @ACCVolleyball Defensive POTY
• 🖐 Second Team All-ACC honorees
• 3️⃣ ACC All-Freshman Team membersRead up on all of our conference honors → https://t.co/Epm3boORbc #GoIrish☘️ | #ExcellenceIsEarned pic.twitter.com/dwoNhTP2oj
— Irish Volleyball (@NDvolleyball) November 26, 2018
Shemanova is the first Freshman of the Year honoree from Syracuse. The St. Petersburg, Russia, native sits at second in the ACC in kills per set (4.25), total kills (425), points per set (4.66) and total points (465.5).
And your 2018 @ACCVolleyball Freshman of the Year is…
📰 https://t.co/W7p1RSgdGg pic.twitter.com/ZpOf0lj3Vk
— Syracuse Volleyball (@CuseVB) November 26, 2018
Fisher led Pitt to its second straight ACC Championship, and first outright ACC title in program history. In his sixth year leading the Panthers, Fisher has guided Pitt to its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and has seen four players named to the 2018 All-ACC Team.
BACK-TO-BACK.
For the second consecutive season, @fishercoach is @ACCVolleyball Coach of the Year!
Fisher has led the Panthers to 5️⃣ consecutive 20-win seasons, 3️⃣ consecutive @NCAAVolleyball Tournament appearances and 2️⃣ consecutive ACC titles.
Well deserved.#OwnIt • #H2P pic.twitter.com/GjtqrxMUVp
— Pitt Volleyball (@Pitt_VB) November 26, 2018
Eleven different schools are represented on the All-ACC Team, led by Notre Dame’s five honorees. Four student-athletes were recognized from Pitt, followed by three from Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, NC State and Syracuse. Georgia Tech and Miami each had two selections, and Virginia Tech had one.
Five ACC teams earned berths in the 2018 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship: Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Pitt and Syracuse. The first round of play is set for Nov. 29 and Nov. 30.
2018 ACC VOLLEYBALL INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Payton Caffrey, Jr., OH, Florida State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ryann DeJarld, Sr., L, Notre Dame
SETTER OF THE YEAR
Wilma Rivera, Sr., S, Louisville
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Polina Shemanova, OH, Syracuse
COACH OF THE YEAR
Dan Fisher, Pitt
FIRST TEAM ALL-ACC
Leah Meyer***, Jr., MB, Duke
Andie Shelton, Gr., S, Duke
Payton Caffrey, Jr., OH, Florida State
Taryn Knuth**, So., MB, Florida State
Wilma Rivera**, Sr., S, Louisville
Melanie McHenry**, Jr., OH, Louisville
Molly Sauer****, Sr., L, Louisville
Haley Templeton****, Sr., S, Miami
Layne Van Buskirk^**, Jr., MH, Pitt
Nika Markovic***, Jr., RS, Pitt
Kayla Lund**, So., OH, Pitt
Stephanie Williams***, Jr., OH, Pitt
Santita Ebangwese^***, Sr., MB, Syracuse
Polina Shemanova, Fr., OH, Syracuse
SECOND TEAM ALL-ACC
Brooke Bailey, So., OH, Clemson
Kelsey Wicinski, Sr., L, Florida State
Mikaila Dowd, Fr., OH, Georgia Tech
Elizaveta Lukianova, So., OH, Miami
Kylie Pickrell**, Sr., S, NC State
Teni Sopitan, Sr., OH, NC State
Melissa Evans**, So., RS, NC State
Ryann DeJarld***, Sr., L, Notre Dame
Charley Niego, Fr., OH, Notre Dame
Sydney Bent, Fr., OH, Notre Dame
Zoe Nunez, Fr., S, Notre Dame
Jemma Yeadon***, Jr., OH, Notre Dame
Amber Witherspoon, Sr., MB, Syracuse
Jaila Tolbert***, Sr., RS, Virginia Tech
ALL-FRESHMEN TEAM
Gabby Easton, S, Clemson
Solei Thomas, RS, Clemson
Ade Owokoniran, OH, Duke
Mikaila Dowd, OH, Georgia Tech
Mariana Brambilla, OH, Georgia Tech
Zoe Nunez, S, Notre Dame
Charley Niego, OH, Notre Dame
Sydney Bent, OH, Notre Dame
Polina Shemanova, OH, Syracuse
^denotes unanimous selection
*denotes number of All-ACC honors
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