IRVING, Texas – For the fourth-consecutive season, WKU Volleyball has seen at least four student-athletes earn All-Conference recognition as the league office released the 2017 honorees Wednesday. Rachel Anderson, Alyssa Cavanaugh and Jessica Lucas all earned first-team accolades while Sydney Engle picked up a second-team nod.
WKU's four All-Conference honorees accounted for 15 player of the week laurels during the 2017 season across three different awards. Lucas led all players with six Setter of the Week accolades while Engle collected five Defensive Player of the Week praises. Cavanaugh brought home three Offensive Player of the Week nods and Anderson added another Defensive Player of the Week honor.
All four honorees own hitting percentages better than .300 on the season with Anderson leading the way at a blazing .421, which ranks second in the league and 13th in the nation. Cavanaugh has produced a .388 hitting clip this season, ranking fourth in the league overall while leading all outside hitters in the country. With 4.04 kills per set, Cavanaugh leads C-USA in the category while Anderson's 3.54 mark ranks seventh.
As one of the more offensive-minded setters across Division I, Lucas has worked at a .366 attack rate this year and owns 132 kills (1.31 kills per set), both marks are tops among C-USA setters. The senior is averaging 10.99 assists per set this year with 1,110 total helpers. Lucas has notched a team-leading eight double-double showings on the year.
Joining Lucas in playing all six rotations is the multi-faceted Engle, who does a little bit of everything for the Lady Toppers. In addition to her .344 hitting percentage, Engle has also added a line that includes 205 kills (2.03 kills per set), 111 assists (1.10 assists per set), 19 aces (0.19 aces per set), 245 digs (2.43 digs per set) and 66 blocks (0.65 blocks per set). Engle has contributed a pair of double-double outings this season.
Cavanaugh and Lucas will finish their career as four-time first-team all-conference selections. Engle has now racked up three second-team nods in her career and Anderson owns a pair of first-team honors in addition to an all-freshman team selection.
WKU and North Texas are the only teams in the league to put multiple players on the league's first team with both squads boasting three. The full list of Conference USA All-Conference players can be found below.
All-Conference First Team
Jessica Lucas, WKU
Alyssa Cavanaugh, WKU
Rachel Anderson, WKU
Karley York, North Texas
Amanda Chamberlain, North Texas
Holly Milam, North Texas
Grace Morgan, Rice
Yumi Garcia, Charlotte
Marijeta Runjic, UTSA
Sigourney Kame, Florida Atlantic
Madison Hill, Marshall
Sarah Bell, Southern Miss
All-Conference Second Team
Sydney Engle, WKU
Alexis Wright, North Texas
Portia Okafor, Rice
Nicole Lennon, Rice
Lee Ann Cunningham, Rice
Madison McDaniel, Rice
Tatyana Thomas, Charlotte
Janell Sparks, Charlotte
Abbi Reid, Florida Atlantic
Ivone Martinez, Florida Atlantic
Kylie Grandy, Southern Miss
Marta Monne, Louisiana Tech
Macey Austin, UTEP
All-Freshman Team
Barbara Teakell, North Texas
Nicole Lennon, Rice
Addisyn Rowe, Marshall
Sydney Rowan, Charlotte
Sydney Nemtuda, Florida Atlantic
Chandler Marshall, Southern Miss
Hannah Froeschl, UTSA
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