MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) has announced its all-conference team and major awards for the 2024 women's volleyball season.
Edgewood College's
Abigail Hoffmann was named NACC Player of the Year, while fellow Eagle
Abbey Falk was named NACC Defensive Player of the Year. NACC Freshman of the Year honors went to St. Norbert College's
Maleigha Kovalaske. Additionally, Edgewood College - led by head coach
Paul Schlomer - was recognized as the NACC Coaching Staff of the Year.
All honors were selected by a vote of the league's head coaches.
NACC Player of the Year --- Abigail Hoffmann, sr., S/RS, Edgewood College
Hoffmann, a senior setter/right-side hitter, has played in all of Edgewood's 31 matches through Nov. 12, accumulating 274 kills, a .208 attack percentage, 473 assists, 226 digs, 85 blocks (six solo), and 39 service aces.
Hoffman has recorded a pair of triple-doubles this season - Sept. 6 against Chapman (18 kills-11 assists-10 digs) and Sept. 7 at La Verne (15 kills-29 assists-15 digs). She registered double-digits in kills 11 times, including a season-high 19 in the regular-season finale Nov. 6 at Benedictine. Hoffmann reached double-digits in assists 27 times, surpassing 20 assists on six occasions including a season-high 29 in the La Verne match. She also had eight matches with 10 or more digs.
Hoffmann ranks third in the NACC in total blocks and eighth in total attacks.
To date, Hoffmann has surpassed 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career assists, and is approaching the same milestone in digs.
Hoffman is the third Eagle to be named NACC Women's Volleyball Player of the Year, joining
Mallory Palmer (2012) and
Jordan Winkler (2015).
NACC Defensive Player of the Year --- Abbey Falk, gr., MH, Edgewood College
Falk, a graduate middle, has played in all 31 of Edgewood's matches through Nov. 12, accumulating 164 kills, 55 digs, 28 solo blocks, and 130 block assists. She currently leads all NCAA Division III players in total blocks and ranks in the top five in blocks per set (1.398).
Falk has recorded at least one block in all but one match this season. She posted a season-high 11 blocks - including a NACC season-high 10 block assists - in a three-set win over UW-Oshkosh on Oct. 1. Later that same day, Falk posted a NACC season-high four solo blocks as part of five-block effort in a five-set win over Carthage. She also registered 10 kills on three separate occasions - Sept. 7 against Redlands, Oct. 24 at Rockford, and Oct. 26 against Marian.
For her career, Falk has surpassed 500 total blocks (525) and is on the verge of reaching triple digits in solo blocks (99) heading into Thursday's NACC Tournament semifinal against Aurora. She has also 770 career kills.
Falk is the first Edgewood student-athlete to be named NACC Defensive Player of the Year in women's volleyball.
NACC Freshman of the Year --- Maleigha Kovalaske, PIN, St. Norbert College
Kovalaske has appeared in 27 of St. Norbert's 32 matches this season, posting 185 kills, 140 digs, 18 blocks (nine solo), 14 assists, and 13 service aces.
Kovalaske currently has nine games with double-digit kills and four with double-digits in digs. She amassed three double-doubles, including a four-set win over Marian where she posted season-highs with 21 kills and 13 digs. Kovalaske also 13 digs in a five-set loss at Dubuque.
Kovalaske is the first Green Knight to be recognized as NACC Freshman of the Year.
NACC Coaching Staff of the Year --- Edgewood College (Paul Schlomer, head coach)
Edgewood, led by 19th-year head coach
Paul Schlomer, posted a 12-1 mark in league play to capture the program's fifth NACC title. The Eagles are 22-9 overall headed into Thursday's NACC Tournament semifinal against Aurora.
The Eagles currently lead all NCAA Division III programs in total blocks (297.5), while also ranking ninth in blocks per set (2.52) - both with NACC-leading figures. Edgewood also ranks second amongst NACC programs in total attacks (4,184) and hitting percentage (0.192), third in opponents hitting percentage (0.137), assists (1,269), and kills (1,371), fourth in assists per set (10.75), kills per set (11.62), and team service aces (239), and fifth in team digs (1,819).
Schlomer surpassed 300 career victories early in the season and currently sits with a 321-271 mark overall.
Schlomer is assisted by
Tom Shay,
Kate Mikutowski,
Kimby Shult Hughes, and
Rebecca Gustafson.
This is the third consecutive year - and sixth time since 2012 - that Schlomer or a Schlomer-led staff have been recognized by the league's head coaches (2012, 2013, 2015, 2022, 2023, 2024).
All-Conference Team Announced
Eleven of 14 NACC programs landed at least one student-athlete on the 2024 All-NACC women's volleyball team. Edgewood and St. Norbert both scored four all-league picks with all four of the Eagles' selections landing on the 13-member first team. St. Norbert saw its four honorees split evenly between the first and second teams.
Aurora, Benedictine, and Concordia Wisconsin each had three all-conference selections, while Illinois Tech and Lakeland had two apiece. Alverno, MSOE, Rockford, and Wisconsin Lutheran all had one player selected.
| 2024 All-NACC Women's Volleyball Team |
| Player of the Year - Abigail Hoffmann, Edgewood College |
| Defensive Player of the Year - Abbey Falk, Edgewood College |
| Freshman of the Year - Maleigha Kovalaske, St. Norbert College |
| Coaching Staff of the Year - Edgewood College (Paul Schlomer, head coach) |
|
| First Team |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Kate Poellmann |
Aurora |
Sr. |
OH |
Whitefish Bay, Wis. |
| Lulu Torres |
Aurora |
Sr. |
OH |
Munster, Ind. |
| Kiara McPherson |
Benedictine |
Sr. |
S |
North Aurora, Ill. |
| Olivia McPherson |
Benedictine |
Sr. |
OH |
North Aurora, Ill. |
| Paige Stickney |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Jr. |
MB |
Menomonee Falls, Wis. |
| Katie Borchert |
Edgewood |
Jr. |
OH |
Lake Mills, Wis. |
| Abbey Falk |
Edgewood |
Gr. |
MH |
Milton, Wis. |
| Abigail Hoffmann |
Edgewood |
Sr. |
S/RS |
Hartford, Wis. |
| Cassidy Spies |
Edgewood |
Gr. |
OH |
Fort Atkinson, Wis. |
| Susana Stevens |
Lakeland |
Sr. |
OH |
Las Cruces, N.M. |
| Emma Schattschneider |
MSOE |
So. |
OH |
Caledonia, Wis. |
| Heidi Colburn |
St. Norbert |
Jr. |
S/RS |
Oshkosh, Wis. |
| Alyssa Mills |
St. Norbert |
Sr. |
PIN |
Oconomowoc, Wis. |
| Second Team |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Rolin West |
Alverno |
Sr. |
OH |
New Orleans, La. |
| Hannah Joseph |
Aurora |
So. |
S |
LaPorte, Ind. |
| Courtney Levy |
Benedictine |
Sr. |
DS |
Round Lake, Ill. |
| Abby Proefrock |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Jr. |
DS/L |
Grafton, Wis. |
| Noelle Smith |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Jr. |
MB |
Davenport, Iowa |
| Grace Reckamp |
Illinois Tech |
Sr. |
S |
Villa Park, Ill. |
| Anna Elena Sofia Sebastio |
Illinois Tech |
Jr. |
L/DS |
Berlin, Germany |
| Isabella Westerholm |
Lakeland |
Sr. |
MB |
Prior Lake, Minn. |
| Madisen Perry |
Rockford |
Sr. |
OH/MH |
Rockford, Ill. |
| Kara Sowinski |
St. Norbert |
Jr. |
DS/L |
Rhinelander, Wis. |
| Mari Szews |
St. Norbert |
Jr. |
MB |
Rhinelander, Wis. |
| Lydia Biggin |
Wisconsin Lutheran |
Jr. |
OPP |
Burlington, Wis. |
| Honorable Mention |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Izzy Gianniou |
Alverno |
Sr. |
S |
Menomonee Falls, Wis. |
| Malainna Adler |
Concordia Chicago |
Fr. |
S |
Fenton, Mo. |
| Lili Hunt |
Concordia Chicago |
Jr. |
MB |
Greenfield, Ind. |
| Emily Dickmann |
Concordia Wisconsin |
So. |
S |
Grafton, Wis. |
| Skylar Kumprey |
Concordia Wisconsin |
So. |
OH |
New Berlin, Wis. |
| McKenna Oetzman |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Fr. |
S |
Reedsburg, Wis. |
| Tanya De La Riva |
Dominican |
Sr. |
OH |
Berwyn, Ill. |
| Abbey Eivins |
Edgewood |
So. |
S |
Denver, Colo. |
| Mia Hinkamper |
Edgewood |
Jr. |
DS |
St. Louis, Mo. |
| Karla Trautmann Mendez |
Illinois Tech |
So. |
MB/RS |
Utuado, Puerto Rico |
| Rylee Esquibel |
Lakeland |
Fr. |
OH |
Devine, Texas |
| Briuna Harper |
Lakeland |
Sr. |
MB |
Waxahachie, Texas |
| Haley Bartels |
Marian |
Jr. |
MB |
Holmen, Wis. |
| Ava Larson |
MSOE |
Sr. |
MH |
Dayton, Minn. |
| Kylee Gnabasik |
Wisconsin Lutheran |
Sr. |
DS |
Jefferson, Wis. |