BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- Wheeling Jesuit claimed two of the Mountain East Conference's top individual volleyball awards as Kayce Krucki was named as the Player of the Year and teammate Jessica Thobe was tabbed as the league's Libero of the Year. In addition, West Liberty's Stephanie Leonard was selected as the MEC Freshman of the Year, and WJU's Christy Benner was named Coach of the Year.
Krucki, a junior outside hitter from Findlay, Ohio, leads a balanced Wheeling Jesuit offense with 305 kills on the year averaging 2.77 per set. She also contributes defensively for the Cards ranking second on the squad in digs (354) and blocks (48). She hit .256 on the year and had nine double-doubles on the year (kills/digs).
Thobe, a senior from Sidney, Ohio, moved into the libero position this season and ranks second in the MEC in digs (5.88) and digs per set (5.01). Thobe helps get the offense started on serve receive as well and has only committed 12 receiving errors on 386 attempts in 2015. She had double-digit digs in all but five of Wheeling Jesuit's 34 matches.
Leonard, an outside hitter from Milford, Mich., was third in league in kills per set (3.12) in conference play in her freshman season, and was eighth in the same category in overall matches (2.80). She had 16 matches of double-digit kills, including a season-high 22 against UVa-Wise. Leonard was second on the team with 51 blocks and contributed 201 digs on the season.
Benner is the MEC Coach of the Year for the third time in as many years after leading WJU to a 30-4 overall record. The Cardinals completed an undefeated record in MEC play for the third-straight year (16-0) earning the regular season championship and the top seed in this week's MEC Tournament. The Cardinals are currently the top team in the NCAA Atlantic Region rankings and are ranked 12th nationally in the most recent AVCA poll.
In addition to the individual awards, the MEC also released its all-conference teams. Wheeling Jesuit had three first team selections, followed by MEC runner-up Fairmont State which had two. Charleston, Shepherd, Urbana and UVa-Wise each had one player on the first team.
The All-MEC teams are selected by a vote of the league's coaches.
| 2015 MEC Individual Awards |
Player of the Year: Kayce Krucki (Wheeling Jesuit)
Libero of the Year: Jessica Thobe (Wheeling Jesuit)
Freshman of the Year: Stephanie Leonard (West Liberty)
Coach of the Year: Christy Benner (Wheeling Jesuit) |
| 2015 All-MEC First Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| OH |
Karley Allen |
UVa-Wise |
Jr. |
Lanexa, Va. |
| OH |
Katlynn Dunlap |
Urbana |
So. |
Zoarville, Ohio |
| MB |
Randi Estrada |
Charleston |
Sr. |
Kea'au, Hawaii |
| RS |
Mackenzie Harrison |
Fairmont State |
So. |
Twinsburg, Ohio |
| OH |
Erin Harwood |
Fairmont State |
Sr. |
Cary, N.C. |
| OH |
Kayce Krucki |
Wheeling Jesuit |
Jr. |
Findlay, Ohio |
| OH |
Samantha Scroggins |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
Plainfield, Ill. |
| S |
Andrea Thobe |
Wheeling Jesuit |
Jr. |
Sidney, Ohio |
| L |
Jessica Thobe |
Wheeling Jesuit |
Sr. |
Sidney, Ohio |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2015 All-MEC Second Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| MB |
Sophie Foster |
Shepherd |
Fr. |
Martinsburg, W.Va. |
| OH |
Lauran Graves |
Wheeling Jesuit |
Fr. |
Toledo, Ohio |
| MB |
Brooke Heck |
Concord |
Fr. |
Huntington, W.Va. |
| RS |
Mia Herrod |
Charleston |
Fr. |
Chicago, Ill. |
| MB |
Haley Kindall |
Wheeling Jesuit |
Jr. |
Westerville, Ohio |
| OH |
Stephanie Leonard |
West Liberty |
Fr. |
Milford, Mich. |
| L |
Courtney Pyeritz |
West Liberty |
Sr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| RS |
Emma Schleucher |
Wheeling Jesuit |
Jr. |
Findlay, Ohio |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2015 All-MEC Honorable Mention |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| RS |
Amanda Auxier |
UVa-Wise |
Fr. |
Midlothian, Va. |
| S |
Mary Hendricks |
Urbana |
Sr. |
Urbana, Ohio |
| MH |
Courtney Kress |
Fairmont State |
Sr. |
Aliquippa, Pa. |
| S |
Melissa Reyes |
Charleston |
Sr. |
Lima, Peru |
| OH |
Lindsay Shirilla |
Notre Dame |
Sr. |
Twinsburg, Ohio |
| OH |
Kaitlyn Witsaman |
Fairmont State |
Sr. |
Medina, Ohio |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2015 MEC All-Freshman Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| RS |
Amanda Auxier |
UVa-Wise |
Fr. |
Midlothian, Va. |
| L |
Megan Clerico |
Fairmont State |
Fr. |
Norristown, Pa. |
| MB |
Sophie Foster |
Shepherd |
Fr. |
Martinsburg, W.Va. |
| MB |
Lauran Graves |
Wheeling Jesuit |
Fr. |
Toledo, Ohio |
| MB |
Brooke Heck |
Concord |
Fr. |
Huntington, W.Va. |
| RS |
Mia Herrod |
Charleston |
Fr. |
Chicago, Ill. |
| OH |
Stephanie Leonard |
West Liberty |
Fr. |
Milford, Mich. |
| S/RS |
Amanda Leonard |
West Liberty |
Fr. |
Milford, Mich. |
2014 All