ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten announced its postseason volleyball awards on Tuesday, with standouts from Penn State and Wisconsin earning recognition following the conclusion of the 2014 regular season. The Badgers’ Lauren Carlini was named the Big Ten Player and Setter of the Year by a vote of the conference’s coaches, while teammate Taylor Morey was tabbed the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Penn State’s Haleigh Washington earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, while Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield was named Big Ten Coach of the Year by the conference’s coaches and media contingent.
Carlini ranked second in the Big Ten in assists (11.14) and service aces (.47) per set during conference matches, guiding Wisconsin to its fifth Big Ten Championship. She also added 2.84 digs per set in Big Ten play and tallied a team-high 14 double-doubles on the season. Carlini becomes the fourth Wisconsin player to win Player of the Year honors and the first since Lizzy Fitzgerald in 2001. She reels in Wisconsin’s first Setter of the Year honor.
Morey led the conference in digs during Big Ten play, averaging 4.97 digs per set, and becomes the first Wisconsin player to earn Defensive Player of the Year accolades. Morey collected Defensive Player of the Week honors on four occasions during the 2014 season.
Washington posted the highest hitting percentage among Big Ten players in conference play, hitting at a .462 clip. She also averaged 1.33 blocks per set and garnered three Big Ten weekly awards. Washington becomes the 12th Nittany Lion to be named Freshman of the Year and the first since Megan Courtney in 2012.
Sheffield earned the top billing among the conference’s coaches and media for the first time after guiding Wisconsin to a 28-2 overall record and 19-1 mark in Big Ten play. In only his second year with the program, the Badgers also earned the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Sheffield’s award marks Wisconsin’s fifth Coach of the Year honor from both the coaches and media.
Fourteen Big Ten players were tabbed All-Big Ten by the conference’s coaches, with five unanimous selections. Joining Carlini as unanimous All-Big Ten selections were Illinois’ Jocelynn Birks, Michigan’s Abby Cole and Penn State’s Micha Hancock and Nia Grant. Washington and Morey are joined on the all-conference team by Michigan State’s Chloe Reinig, Minnesota’s Paige Tapp, Nebraska’s Kelsey Fien and Kadie Rolfzen, Purdue’s Annie Drews and Val Nichol and Wisconsin’s Courtney Thomas.
Washington and teammate Ali Frantti were unanimous selections to the All-Freshman Team. Illinois’ Brandi Donnelly, Michigan’s Caroline Knop, Michigan State’s Rachel Minarick, Purdue’s Danielle Cuttino and Wisconsin’s Kelli Bates also appeared on the seven-player team.
The Big Ten also recognized 14 Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
The complete list of All-Big Ten honorees, individual award winners and Sportsmanship Award Honorees can be found below.
ALL-BIG TEN
JOCELYNN BIRKS, Jr., OH, ILL
ABBY COLE, So., MB, MICH
Chloe Reinig, So., OH, MSU
Paige Tapp, So., MB, MINN
Kelsey Fien, Jr., OH, NEB
Kadie Rolfzen, So., OH, NEB
MICHA HANCOCK, Sr., S, PSU
NIA GRANT, Sr., MH, PSU
Haleigh Washington, Fr., MB, PSU
Annie Drews, Jr., OH, PUR
Val Nichol, Sr., S/OH, PUR
LAUREN CARLINI, So., S., WIS
Taylor Morey, Jr., L, WIS
Courtney Thomas, Sr., OH, WIS
Honorable Mention
Elizabeth McMahon, Sr., OPP, ILL
Lexi Dannemiller, Sr., S, MICH
Kori Moster, Sr., L, MSU
Daly Santana, Jr., OH, MINN
Mary Pollmiller, Sr., S, NEB
Caroline Niedospial, Jr., DS/L, NU
Taylor Sandbothe, So., MB, OSU
Taylor Sherwin, Sr., S, OSU
Ali Frantti, Fr., OH, PSU
Aiyana Whitney, Jr., OH, PSU
Haleigh Nelson, So., MB, WIS
Dominique Thompson, Sr., MB, WIS
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Brandi Donnelly, L, ILL
Caroline Knop, OH/DS, MICH
Rachel Minarick, S, MSU
ALI FRANTTI, OH, PSU
HALEIGH WASHINGTON, MB, PSU
Danielle Cuttino, MB, PUR
Kelli Bates, OH, WIS
Unanimous selections in CAPS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lauren Carlini, WIS
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Taylor Morey, WIS
SETTER OF THE YEAR
Lauren Carlini, WIS
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Haleigh Washington, PSU
COACH OF THE YEAR (COACHES AND MEDIA)
Kelly Sheffield, WIS
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Kathryn Polkoff, ILL
Kyndall Merritt, IND
Alex Lovell, IOWA
Emily Fraik, MD
Lindsey Lerg, MICH
Jazmine White, MSU
Daly Santana, MINN
Mary Pollmiller, NEB
Caleigh Ryan, NU
Andrea Kacsits, OSU
Lacey Fuller, PSU
KiKi Jones, PUR
Ali Schroeter, RU
Deme Morales, WIS