2024 All-NCAC Volleyball Squad Released

CLEVELAND, OH - DePauw senior Olivia Karwin (Menifee, CA/Paloma Valley) has been named both the Player of the Year and the Setter of the Year, while junior teammate Grace Myers (New Palestine, IN/New Palestine) was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year to highlight the 2024 All-North Coast Athletic Conference volleyball selections.

Karwin, who captures DePauw’s third NCAC Player of the Year and first since Morgan Stearley was named in 2019, collects the conference's newest honor this season, the Setter of the Year award. The senior helped lead the Tigers to a 5-2 record in NCAC play to earn the third seed in the conference postseason. In 26 sets of conference action, Karwin produced 66 kills (2.54/set), while committing just 14 errors on 210 attempts for a .248 hitting percentage, to go along with 141 assists (5.42/set), 10 service aces and 80 points (3.08/set). The senior recorded 73 digs (2.81/set) and seven total blocks (1 solo, 6 assist) against league opponents, while also recording two triple-doubles with 11 kills, 25 assists and 10 digs against Hiram on Oct. 12 and 11 kills, 16 assists and 10 digs against Kenyon on Nov. 2.
 
Myers, the 2023 Libero of the Year, earns the inaugural NCAC Defensive Player of the Year honor while also collecting her second-consecutive nod onto the top team. The defensive specialist finished the conference regular season with the second-most digs with 5.65 per set, posting 147 digs in 26 conference sets. The junior recorded 15 or more digs in every league contest and eclipsed the 20-dig mark in four league matches, which included a career-high 30 against Ohio Wesleyan on Oct. 29. Myers also recorded the second-most service aces in conference action with 17 (0.65/set).

Ohio Wesleyan sophomore outside hitter Natalie Dieball (Cincinnati, OH/Lakota East), the 2023 Newcomer of the Year, joins DePauw’s Myers as a repeat first-team selection from a season ago, while OWU senior middle blocker Claire Solberg (Huron, OH/Huron) is the only first-team selection that earned a nod to the top team for three-consecutive seasons. Denison sophomore outside hitter Claire Hamilton (Lower Merion, PA/Lower Merion) elevates to the first-team after earning second-team accolades in 2023, while junior teammate Alice Kempf (Louisville, KY/Sacred Heart Academy), a setter, makes the jump to the top team after a third-team selection last season. Wittenberg junior libero/defensive specialist Ally White (Harrison, OH/Harrison) makes her All-NCAC debut on the first team.
 
In addition, Wittenberg first-year Clare O'Malley (Avon, OH/St. Joseph's Academy) was named the 2024 NCAC Newcomer of the Year as the league’s top player in her first year of collegiate competition. She is the eighth Tiger to receive the honor, and first since Aubrey Cox was named in 2016. On defense in conference play, O’Malley finished in the top 10 of the NCAC with the third-most solo blocks (7), the fourth-most blocks per set (0.72) and the fifth-most total blocks (18), while also tying for the seventh-most block assists (11). Offensively against league opponents, the middle blocker tied for the fourth-best hitting percentage (.288) and landed among the top 15 in kills (54), kills per set (2.16), points (68.5) and points per set (2.74). The Wittenberg Tigers earned the fourth seed in the NCAC tournament after turning in a 5-2 mark in league matchups.
 
Denison claimed the 2024 Bridget Sheehan Coaching Staff of the Year honors, the sixth NCAC coaching award in program history. The Big Red are led by Head Coach Carter Cassell and Assistant Coaches Jenna Corrao and Lindsay Miracle. The Denison squad was guided to a near-perfect 6-1 mark in league play and the program’s second NCAC championship title, which also earned the team hosting rights for the 2024 NCAC Tournament semifinals and final. In conference play, the Big Red produced the best hitting percentage in the league (.237), the most assists per set (13.23), kills per set (13.92) and points per set (17.15). Denison also topped the league in opponent service aces per set (1.38) and digs per set (15.27), while also ranking in the top-four in opponent hitting percentage (.149), assists per set (9.65) and kills per set (10.50).

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