A10 All Conference Awards

[BeckysTXA]

These are predictions. They usually announce the night before or first day of conference tourney. I should look that up, but I’ll just say that will be Thursday or Friday of this week - that way they will come out on Wednesday. Lol.

POY - JPete. Not even close. Coaches love 6-rotation players and in the case of JPete she does everything except set - and does some of these at a high level. She’s hitting .316 from the outside and back row. 300 hitting percentages are usually reserved for MBs, not 6-rotation OHs. And I’ll add, she started out somewhat slow this year averaging in the mid-200s. So she’s hitting even higher in recent matches. Her serve is on a whole new level. She dug the ball really well this year. And her block from the left pin is very solid at .65 per set.

SOY - Should be Bridget. She is 2nd in assists per set but she led her team to a .296 hitting percentage. Ten years ago teams never averaged a hitting percentage close to .300. There have been a couple teams a year in recent years, but it’s still rare. Sure she’s got a bunch of good hitters, but you still have to deliver the ball to the one the defense isn’t trying to stop. And this past weekend I watched her run down first touches and deliver some great sets in impossible situations. Plus she’s been a great server this year and a very solid blocker for a front row player at 5’10” (that’s short in the vball world).

COY - should be Horsmon again. But coaches voting are kind of funny. They might give it to Fordham coach for winning the East. Or they might give it to Miller who is in his 10th year at SLU. Miller put together one heck of a schedule including #18 WKY, RV Marquette, Iowa State and Kansas State. Plus I think SLU is the 2nd best team in the conference having beaten both VCU and UD, but won’t have a chance to knock off a couple teams they’ve already beaten to make the dance. Might be a sentimental pick. In the end it should be Horsmon.

LOY - probably the most interesting award. A freshman from LaSalle leads the conference in digs. Isa Lopez. LaSalle won’t have vball next year. Someone from the conference will pick up this player. UD has strong backrow players now and another really good one coming next year. (Kaminski). So it won’t be UD, but watch out for VCU and SLU. She’s from TX, so I’ll give SLU the edge, and they need a Libero. The Fordham Libero played well, so that might be the award they get for winning the East. And then there is Ratzloff from URI. A junior that’s played very well the last two years. I’m leaning towards Ratzloff.

ROY - 3 players in the running. UD has two - Yates and Almodovar. VCU MB King is the other. Coaches love 6-rotation players...so Almodovar wins this. She’s been the biggest surprise of the season and really had her way early when teams built their defense to stop JPete. She made it impossible for teams to gang up on JPete and once they had to stop her too, it’s opened up Jamie’s game. Together with our two strong MBs, anyone of those 4 can beat you because Bridget can get the ball to any of them. Lexie has been good on so many levels for a freshman, but diversifying our offense has been the biggest contribution.

	Rhode Island RHODE ISLAND The University of Rhode Island was chartered as the state's agricultural school in 1888. The school became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892. Located in southern Rhode Island, URI is a quintessential New England campus - rural in feeling yet close to the city of Providence, the state's capital. Linked to the city, the beaches, and nearly every corner of the state by both rail and public transit, the campus is easily accessible from Boston and New York URI currently offers 100 majors in seven degree-granting colleges. There are more than 12,000 students on the Kingston campus, about 3,000 in Providence, and a complement of about 700 faculty. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams.

	Fordham FORDHAM Fordham University is an independent Jesuit university established in 1841 as St. John's College on old Rose Hill Manor in the village of Fordham, then part of Westchester County in the Bronx, NY. The name Fordham is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "ford" and "ham," meaning a wading place or ford by a settlement. Rose Hill is the name given to the site in 1787 by Robert Watts, a wealthy New York merchant, in honor of his family's ancestral home of the same name in Scotland. The College was originally staffed by diocesan clergy. The name was officially changed to Fordham University in 1907. Fordham's 10 schools enroll 14,448 students. There are 7,652 undergraduates, of whom 3,842 live in University-managed housing either on-campus or in the local community. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams. Athletic claim to fame is consistent mediocrity in nearly all sports and few A10 title winning programs.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

[Lifelong Flyer Fan]

Bridget Doherty's tribute that was played on the big boards Saturday

https://www.instagram.com/p/CM-4FJjHyuU/

[Chris R]

JPete's stats are up from last season in hitting (.253 to .316) and aces per set (.39 to .63) which are big improvements. Blocks and digs are slightly down but not a lot.

I'd almost call JPete a solid "7 rotation player" because JPete's been serving up fastballs when serving -- especially the last 6-8 matches. We've gotten a lot of our runs on her excellent serving which to my eye is best in the A10. I dont see a lot of great servers in the game. You dont need a heater to be a great server (Rachel Broerman's moonball dink floaters creeping over the net were lethal), but JPete's a big weapon back there.

Lexie has come in strong late. Three or four weeks ago Id say Yates are lookin at ROY, but you may be right about this flipping. Its interesting how successful Lexie has been at the net for us considering she's an undersized hitter. Not many 5-8 hitters out there that can do much. So she's been a BIG surprise for me. We've needed her hits too with the absence of Papesh who was our clear #2 hitter coming into the season.

As for the rest of the awards, I think it just depends on whether they want to spread the wealth around the league. Dayton has the most talent however. We will get the most players recognized...just a matter of who they want to take.

[BeckysTXA]

I should fill out the rest of our card. Yates will be on the all-rookie team. Moore should be on a team - 1st or 2nd. That leaves Swink who has been a great addition, but won’t be named. And finally Collins. Because of how we play back row defense (the libero doesn’t play in the middle back, and we leave a donut hole in the court coverage, Maura doesn’t rack up big dig numbers. It’s not her talent. It’s the system. When it comes to awards, that means you’re usually left off the card. But I think she is an Excellent student, so she should be all-academic. And she can be named to the all-conference tourney team. I hope she tears it up these next two matches.

[Lifelong Flyer Fan]

https://daytonflyers.com/news/2021/4...jwwpCMIl-C6mis

Flyers rake in the awards! Headlined by Horsman COY. Peterson, POY, Doherty SOY
A10 article: https://atlantic10.com/news/2021/4/1...ll-awards.aspx

[Chris R]

Did Moody deserve the A10 ROY? Lets humble her tomorrow!

[BeckysTXA]

Originally Posted by Chris R Did Moody deserve the A10 ROY? Lets humble her tomorrow!

It’s not tough to put up stats when you play the weakest teams in the conference and none of the best. But we knew they would spread some award OT two around. We’ve had the last couple ROY and her stats look good on paper when you don’t consider the competition.

Lexie on first team and She and Yates on all Rookie team tell the real story.

And, yes our two freshmen are schooling her in the conference tourney.

I will add, I think Fordhams coach is good. I expect him to win COY if he stays in the A10. And Yates will be POY after a JPete retires. She does so many things so well for a freshman and she’s just getting started.