UPJ's Mahony and Edinboro's Litwiler Headline 2015 PSAC Volleyball All-Conference
Lock Haven, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has announced the all-conference awards for volleyball, as voted on by the league’s coaches.
Representatives from the two divisional champions highlighted the awards, as Edinboro’s Challen Litwiler was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year, and Pitt-Johnstown’s Kendall Mahony was named the PSAC East Athlete of the Year.
Litwiler ranks third in the PSAC with 3.68 kills per set and led the Fighting Scots to an 18-4 record, the top seed in the PSAC West, and an opening round sweep of California in the conference tournament.
Mahony won PSAC East Freshman of the Year last season, in addition to earning a spot on the all-conference first team each of her first two years on campus. Mahoney had the second-best hitting percentage in the league (.348) and was a two-time PSAC Athlete of the Week during the 2015 season.
Missy Soboleski was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year after leading the Fighting Scots to a 30-win season and their first PSAC West crown since 1997.
Pitt-Johnstown’s Joanna Haupt won PSAC East Coach of the Year honors for the second year in a row, adding six conference wins to the Lady Cats’ total from last season. UPJ finished with a conference-best 19-3 league record this year.
Seton Hill’s Lauren Teed was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year and was also named first team all-conference. Teed is now a two-time winner of defensive athlete of the year, also claiming the prize in 2013.
For the second straight year, Pitt-Johnstown’s Devan Orr has been named the PSAC East’s Defensive Athlete of the Year. She was also named to the first team after being named second team in her freshman year last season.
Megan Screptock is the PSAC West Freshman of the Year, recording 205 kills on the year. She is the first Edinboro freshman to win the award since 2010 (Seth Sullivan).
Maura Brehl is the third consecutive PSAC East Freshman of the Year for Pitt-Johnstown. Brehl’s .264 attack percentage ranked 12th in the conference and was second on UPJ only to Mahony.
Seton Hill, Edinboro, and Clarion each placed three athletes on the All-PSAC West Teams.
Of the 14 all-conference honorees from the PSAC East, only three are making their first appearance on the team. Lock Haven and Pitt-Johnstown tied for the most player representation, each with four players on the teams.
FIRST TEAM ALL-PSAC EAST#
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / High School |
| S/DS |
Jessica Brown* |
Lock Haven |
Sr. |
Fawn Grove, Pa./Kennard-Dale |
| OH |
Sarah Gomish^ |
Lock Haven |
So. |
Ebensburg, Pa./Bishop Carroll |
| OH |
Molly Grammer |
West Chester |
Sr. |
Center Valley, Pa. / Southern Lehigh |
| MH |
Kendall Mahony* |
Pitt-Johnstown |
So. |
Yorktown, VA / Grafton |
| S |
Maura Nolan^^ |
Shippensburg |
Jr. |
Wexford, Pa. / North Allegheny |
| DS |
Devan Orr^ |
Pitt-Johnstown |
So. |
Carol Stream, IL / West Chicago |
| MH |
Audrey Stringer** |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
Yardley, Pa. / Pennsbury |
| OH |
Cambria Wierman* |
Pitt-Johnstown |
So. |
Hanover, Pa. / Delone Catholic |
SECOND TEAM ALL-PSAC EAST
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / High School |
| DS |
Sydney Belcastro |
Lock Haven |
Jr. |
Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell |
| OH |
Marissa Erminio* |
PItt-Johnstown |
So. |
Hopwood, Pa. / Laurel Highlands |
| OPP |
Megan Flick^ |
Lock Haven |
Sr. |
Howard, Pa./Bald Eagle |
| MB |
Taylor Gottshall^^* |
Shippensburg |
Sr. |
Allentown, Pa. / Allentown Central Catholic |
| S |
Jillian Grammer |
West Chester |
Fr. |
Center Valley, Pa. / Southern Lehigh |
| L |
Brooklyn Smith^^ |
Millersville |
Sr. |
York, Pa. / Central York |
Athlete of the Year: Kendal Mahony, Pitt-Johnstown
Defensive Athlete of the Year: Devan Orr, Pitt-Johnstown
Freshman of the Year: Maura Brehl, Pitt-Johnstown
Coach of the Year: Joanna Haupt, Pitt-Johnstown
FIRST TEAM ALL-PSAC WEST#
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / High School |
| RS |
Mackenzie Biggs^ |
Clarion |
Jr. |
Aliquippa, Pa. / Hopewell |
| OH |
Cassie Hausfeld |
Seton Hill |
Jr. |
Dublin, OH / Dublin Coffman |
| OH |
Hannah Kren^* |
Gannon |
Jr. |
| Waukesha, Wis. / Wisconsin Lutheran |
|
| RS |
Mary Lavery^ |
California |
Sr. |
La Plata, Md. / La Plata |
| OH |
Challen Litwiler |
Edinboro |
So. |
Harmonsburg, Pa. / Conneaut Area |
| MH |
Gabrielle Olson^ |
Clarion |
So. |
Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine-Richland |
| DS |
Lauren Teed |
Seton Hill |
Sr. |
Milan, OH / Edison |
| S |
Sydney Trathen |
Edinboro |
So. |
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Stow Munroe Falls |
SECOND TEAM ALL-PSAC WEST
| Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / High School |
| OH |
Taylor Braunagel |
Clarion |
So. |
Milford, Pa. / Delaware Valley |
| OH |
Erin Byrnes |
Mercyhurst |
Sr. |
West Islip, N.Y. / West Islip |
| OH |
Natalie Cignetti |
IUP |
So. |
Indiana, Pa. / Indiana |
| MH |
Miranda Fouzie^^ |
California |
Sr. |
Kingston, Ontario / Sydenham |
| MH/OH |
Shelby Kyllo* |
Seton Hill |
Sr. |
Anacortes, WA / Anacortes |
| MH |
Victoria Severo |
Edinboro |
Jr. |
Meadville, Pa. / Meadville |
Athlete of the Year: Challen Litwiler, Edinboro
Defensive Athlete of the Year: Lauren Teed, Seton Hill
Freshman of the Year: Megan Screptock, Edinboro
Coach of the Year: Missy Soboleski, Edinboro
# Additional player on the first team due to a tie in voting
* Indicates a previous selection to the All-PSAC First Team
^ Indicates a previous selection to the All-PSAC Second Team