SAN MATEO, Calif. – BYU head coach Heather Olmstead captured her fourth West Coast Conference Volleyball Coach of the Year award, as the Conference announced its major award winners and all-conference teams.
Olmstead was one of three BYU representatives earning special recognition by the Conference. Junior Whitney Bower was named the WCC Setter of the Year for a second consecutive season, and senior Kenzie Koerber was voted the WCC Player of the Year. The Cougars, ranked No. 4 nationally, completed the WCC season a perfect 18-0 and enter the NCAA Tournament on a 20-match winning streak.
Pacific’s Jadyn Tubbs was voted the WCC Libero of the Year and Pepperdine’s Grace Chillingworth was selected as the WCC Freshman of the Year.
All five individual awards as well as the all-conference teams were voted on solely by the WCC's 10 head coaches.
Koerber, who was named the WCC Player of the Week four times during the regular season, averaged 3.64 kills per set and 2.43 digs per set with a .385 hitting percentage during conference play. She registered seven double-doubles as the Cougars completed the conference schedule 18-0.
Bower is the WCC Setter of the Year for the second consecutive year. The junior, who also collected WCC Player of the Year honors in the 2020-21 season, averaged 10.34 assists per set. Bower played a large role as the Cougars ranked second nationally in hitting percentage at .339. Bower also collected First Team All-WCC honors for the third year in a row. Bower, who also averaged 2.66 digs per set, recorded six double-doubles in conference play.
Tubbs was voted the WCC Libero of the Year, after averaging a conference-best 4.20 digs per set in the WCC. She posted at least 20 digs in three conference matches, including 25 against Pepperdine, and 23 and 22 in two matches against Saint Mary’s. She tied for fourth in the WCC in service aces with 25. Tubbs, who was also a First Team All-WCC selection, helped guide the Tigers to 10 wins in conference play this season.
Chillingworth is the second Pepperdine player to garner WCC Freshman of the Year honors in as many years, after Meg Brown was recognized during the 2020-21 season. She was first among freshmen in the WCC and ninth overall with 3.02 kills per set. Chillingworth was eighth overall with 199 total kills in 18 WCC matches. The freshman helped guide the Waves to a 14-4 conference record.
Olmstead was voted the WCC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in her career, also earning the honor during the 2020-21, 2018 and 2015 seasons. She led BYU to the 13th undefeated conference season in WCC volleyball history and the first since the conference expanded to 10 members. The last team to finish the WCC regular season undefeated was San Diego, who completed the 2004 conference season 14-0.
Seven from last season’s All-WCC First Team were selected to the 16-member First Team again this season, including Rachel Ahrens (Pepperdine), Taylen Ballard-Nixon (BYU), Whitney Bower (BYU), Kennedy Eschenberg (BYU), Grace Frohling (San Diego), Julia Sangiacomo (Santa Clara) and Isabel Zelaya (Pepeprdine). Bower, Eschenberg and Frohling are three-time First Team All-WCC selections.
BYU, Pepperdine and San Diego each earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is the 11th consecutive season that at least two WCC programs have received a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Pacific was selected to play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), which begins Thursday.
| WCC COACH OF THE YEAR |
| Heather Olmsted |
BYU |
| WCC PLAYER OF THE YEAR |
| Kenzie Koerber |
BYU |
Sr. |
| WCC SETTER OF THE YEAR |
| Whitney Bower |
BYU |
Jr. |
| WCC LIBERO OF THE YEAR |
| Jadyn Tubbs |
Pacific |
Sr. |
| WCC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR |
| Grace Chillingworth |
Pepperdine |
OH |
ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
YEAR |
| Rachel Ahrens |
Pepperdine |
OH |
Sr. |
| Taylen Ballard-Nixon |
BYU |
OH |
Sr. |
| Annie Benbow |
San Diego |
LB |
Sr. |
| Leyla Blackwell |
San Diego |
MH |
So. |
| Whitney Bower |
BYU |
S |
Jr. |
| Alexa Edwards |
Pacific |
OH |
So. |
| Kennedy Eschenberg |
BYU |
MB |
Sr. |
| Grace Frohling |
San Diego |
RS |
So. |
| Heather Gneiting |
BYU |
MB |
Jr. |
| Kenzie Koerber |
BYU |
OH |
Sr. |
| Jennifer Laird |
Saint Mary’s |
MB |
Sr. |
| Katie Lukes |
San Diego |
OH |
Sr. |
| Megan Rice |
LMU |
OH |
Sr. |
| Julia Sangiacomo |
Santa Clara |
OH |
Jr. |
| Jadyn Tubbs |
Pacific |
LB |
Sr. |
| Isabel Zelaya |
Pepperdine |
S |
Jr. |
ALL-WCC SECOND TEAM
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
YEAR |
| Isabella Bareford |
LMU |
S |
Fr. |
| Meg Brown |
Pepperdine |
MB |
So. |
| Kari Geissberger |
LMU |
OH |
Fr. |
| Erin Livingston |
BYU |
OH |
So. |
| Michelle Shaffer |
Santa Clara |
OPP |
Sr. |
| Madison Shields |
Pepperdine |
LB |
Sr. |
ALL-WCC FRESHMAN TEAM
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
| Grace Chillingworth |
Pepperdine |
OH |
| Kristen Erland |
Saint Mary’s |
MB |
| Jenna Heller |
Pacific |
S |
| Jacquelyn Moore |
LMU |
MB |
| Haylee Stoner |
San Diego |
MH |
| NIve Tuileta |
Santa Clara |
S |
| Emily Wilson |
San Diego |
OH |
ALL-WCC HONORABLE MENTION
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
YEAR |
| Madi Allen |
BYU |
LB |
So. |
| Grace Chillingworth |
Pepperdine |
OH |
Fr. |
| Ramonni Cook |
Pacific |
OPP |
So. |
| Kennedy Croft |
Gonzaga |
OH |
Jr. |
| Jayde Harris |
Portland |
OH |
Jr. |
| Audrey Klemp |
LMU |
OPP |
Fr. |
| Kelsey Knudsen |
Saint Mary’s |
DS |
Sr. |
| Darina Kumanova |
Pacific |
OH |
So. |
| Cara McKenzie |
Gonzaga |
MB |
Sr. |
| Kylie Pries |
San Diego |
OH |
So. |