SAN BRUNO, Calif. – No. 11 LMU took home two All-WCC honors and placed five on the First Team following its upset of three-time defending champion No. 6 Pepperdine in this year’s WCC Beach Volleyball Championship double final.
All four All-WCC awards, including the All-WCC and All-Freshman teams, were voted on by a poll of the league’s head coaches.
LMU head coach John Mayer was the near-unanimous selection for Coach of the Year after guiding his Lions to a 27-11 record and their first WCC title in Santa Monica.
Lindsey Knudsen and Sarah Chase of Saint Mary’s were tabbed the WCC’s inaugural Pair of the Year. The duo led the way for the 20-9 Gaels all year, going 24-5 all from the No. 1 spot. Knudsen and Chase picked up wins along the way over the top pair from Bay Area rivals Cal (once) and Stanford (twice), and padded their resume with a perfect 3-0 slate against conference foe LMU.
Pepperdine’s Brook Bauer is the second consecutive Wave to take home Defensive Player of the Year honors. Last year’s WCC Freshman of the Year, Bauer teamed up with fellow First Team honoree Heidi Dyer to go 14-7 from the No. 1 spot this year while holding a 17-11 record individually in duals. The Waves will take on LSU in their fourth NCAA Tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama taking place May 3-5.
LMU’s Reka Orsi Toth was named WCC Freshman of the Year after posting a 13-5 record with fellow All-WCC team member Savannah Slattery at the No. 1 spot and a 29-9 record overall. Orsi Toth teamed up with Megan Nash at the WCC Championship in Santa Monica to clinch the team's first ever win over Pepperdine, forcing a winner-take-all final that saw the Lions take home the title.
Six members this year’s 10-member All-WCC First Team return from last year’s First Team, including Knudsen, who becomes the first four-time All-WCC First Team honoree in conference history. LMU’s Savannah Slattery also picked up her second First Team honor.
All told, four WCC programs were represented on this year’s first and second teams with Saint Mary’s and WCC champion LMU placing two student-athletes apiece on the All-Freshman team. LMU led the way with nine overall honors across the three teams, while Pepperdine and Saint Mary’s collected six each. San Francisco collected three honors – two on the All-WCC Second Team squad and one All-Freshman selection.
2019 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year
John Mayer, LMU
2019 West Coast Conference Pair of the Year
Lindsey Knudsen and Sarah Chase, Saint Mary’s
2019 West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year
Brook Bauer, Pepperdine
2019 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year
Reka Orsi Toth, LMU
2019 All-WCC Beach Volleyball First Team
| Name |
Year |
School |
| Brook Bauer |
So. |
Pepperdine |
| Sarah Chase |
Sr. |
Saint Mary’s |
| Heidi Dyer |
Sr. |
Pepperdine |
| Lindsey Knudsen |
Sr. |
Saint Mary’s |
| Sara Kovac |
Sr. |
LMU |
| Deahna Kraft |
Jr. |
Pepperdine |
| Megan Nash |
Gr. |
LMU |
| Reka Orsi Toth |
Fr. |
LMU |
| Jessie Prichard |
Jr. |
LMU |
| Savannah Slattery |
Jr. |
LMU |
2019 All-WCC Beach Volleyball Second Team
| Name |
Year |
School |
| Emily Bible |
Sr. |
Saint Mary’s |
| Lindsey Calvin |
Sr. |
Saint Mary’s |
| Skylar Caputo |
Sr. |
Pepperdine |
| Bo Culo |
So. |
LMU |
| Anna Dalla Vecchia |
So. |
San Francisco |
| Emma Doud |
Jr. |
LMU |
| Gigi Hernandez |
Jr. |
Pepperdine |
| Carly Lowry |
Jr. |
San Francisco |
2019 All-WCC Beach Volleyball Freshman Team
| Name |
School |
| Ella Boehle |
LMU |
| Selbie Christensen |
Saint Mary’s |
| Chandler Cowell |
Saint Mary’s |
| Madelyn LaFollette |
San Francisco |
| Gabby Leo |
Pacific |
| Reka Orsi Toth |
LMU |
| Simone Priebe |
Pepperdine |