SAN MATEO, Calif. --- After spending the bulk of the 2021 spring season ranked in the top-25, BYU and Pepperdine combined to sweep the 2021 West Coast Conference major individual honors and placed a total of 10 student-athletes on the All-WCC first and second teams.
BYU sophomore
Whitney Bower was voted the 2021 Player and Setter of the Year while Cougar head coach
Heather Olmstead was named Coach of the Year for the third time in her record-setting career. Pepperdine junior libero
Madison Shields secured WCC Libero (formerly Defensive Player) of the Year honors while teammate middle blocker
Meg Brown earned WCC Freshman of the Year accolades for the Waves. All five major individual awards – including the all-conference and all-freshman teams – were voted on solely by the WCC's head coaches.
Bower ran one of the most efficient offenses in the country as the Cougars ranked in the top-five among national leaders in attack percentage (5th/.312) and assists per game (4th/13.56). Along the way, Bower helped the Cougars to a 16-1 record, 15-1 in WCC action en route to another regular season championship. BYU went wire-to-wire in the AVCA top-25 national poll and lost a total of just nine sets during the entire regular season. During conference play, Bower averaged 10.83 assists, 3.5 digs and 0.81 kills per game on .404 attacking and becomes the sixth Cougar to earn Player of the Year honors and third consecutive.
Shields is the sixth Wave defensive specialist to capture Libero of the Year (formerly Defensive Player of the Year) honors and the first since two-time honoree Stevi Robinson did so in 2010. Shields ranked fourth among conference leaders in digs (4.32 per set) while keying one of the league’s top defensive units. Shields finished the regular season with a career-best 300 digs as a junior and helped the Waves collect a pair of top-25 victories.
Brown made an immediate impact for the Waves in her debut season. The middle blocker averaged 2.40 kills on .324 attacking to go along with 0.86 blocks and 2.92 points per set during WCC action. Brown is the 13thPepperdine student-athlete to capture top frosh honors and the first since Tarah Wylie in 2016.
This is the third WCC Coach of the Year honor for Olmstead, who propelled BYU to its fifth WCC Championship since taking over as head coach in 2015. The Cougars are set for their ninth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and have advanced to four Sweet 16s and the 2018 Final Four under her leadership. Olmstead owns the highest career winning percentage among active coaches at 160-19 (.894) and is 97-9 (.915) in conference matches.
BYU, Pepperdine and San Diego will compete in the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament as announced Sunday on ESPNU. This is the 10th straight postseason that at least two WCC programs have advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars collected a No. 16 national seed and earned a first round bye in the 48-team field.
| 2020-21 WCC Volleyball Major Honors |
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| Player of the Year: Whitney Bower, So., S – BYU |
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| Libero of the Year: Madison Shields, Jr., LIB – Pepperdine |
| Setter of the Year: Whitney Bower, So., S – BYU |
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| Freshman of the Year: Meg Brown, Fr., MB – Pepperdine |
| Coach of the Year: Heather Olmstead – BYU |
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| 2020-21 All-WCC Volleyball First Team |
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| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Pos. |
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| Rachel Ahrens |
Pepperdine |
Jr. |
OH/OPP |
| Taylen Ballard-Nixon |
BYU |
Sr. |
OH |
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| Isabella Bareford |
LMU |
Fr. |
S |
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| Whitney Bower |
BYU |
So. |
S |
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| Meg Brown |
Pepperdine |
Fr. |
MB |
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| Anna Dalla Vecchia |
San Francisco |
Sr. |
L |
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| Kennedy Eschenberg |
BYU |
Sr. |
MB |
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| Thana Fayad |
San Diego |
Gr. |
OH |
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| Grace Frohling |
San Diego |
So. |
OPP/S |
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| Kari Geissberger |
LMU |
Fr. |
OH |
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| Kate Grimmer |
BYU |
So. |
OPP |
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| McKenna Marshall |
San Francisco |
Jr. |
OH |
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| Julia Sangiacomo |
Santa Clara |
So. |
OH |
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| Shannon Scully |
Pepperdine |
Sr. |
OH |
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| Roxie Wiblin |
San Diego |
Sr. |
OH |
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| Isabel Zelaya |
Pepperdine |
So. |
S/OPP |
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| 2020-21 All-WCC Volleyball Second Team |
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| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Pos. |
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| Madi Allen |
BYU |
Fr. |
L |
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| Alyssa Hughes |
Gonzaga |
So. |
MB |
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| Katie Lukes |
San Diego |
Jr. |
OH |
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| Sarah Penner |
Gonzaga |
Sr. |
OH |
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| Madison Shields |
Pepperdine |
Jr. |
L |
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| Mary Shroll |
LMU |
Fr. |
DS |
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| 2020-21 All-WCC Volleyball Honorable Mention |
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| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Pos. |
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| Tia Andaya |
Gonzaga |
So. |
OH/S |
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| Aylen Ayub |
San Francisco |
Fr. |
S |
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| Elena Baka |
Saint Mary's |
So. |
OH |
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| Rose Booth |
LMU |
So. |
OH |
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| Kennedy Croft |
Gonzaga |
Jr. |
OH |
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| Chapin Gray |
Gonzaga |
Sr. |
OH |
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| Hawley Harrer |
Saint Mary's |
Jr. |
OPP |
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| Audrey Klemp |
LMU |
Fr. |
S/OPP |
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| Jennifer 'Boo' Laird |
Saint Mary's |
Sr. |
MB |
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| Erin Livingston |
BYU |
Fr. |
OH |
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| Michelle Shaffer |
Santa Clara |
Jr. |
S/OPP |
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| Sophia Tulino |
Santa Clara |
Fr. |
OH |
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| Emmelyn Walters |
LMU |
So. |
MB |
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| Mia Wesley |
Portland |
Fr. |
OH |
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| Carey Williams |
Portland |
Sr. |
DS/L |
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| 2020-21 All-WCC Freshman Team |
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| Name |
Institution |
Pos. |
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| Madi Allen |
BYU |
LIB |
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| Isabella Bareford |
LMU |
S |
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| Meg Brown |
Pepperdine |
MB |
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| Leilani Dodson |
BYU |
OH |
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| Kari Geissberger |
LMU |
OH |
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| Erin Livingston |
BYU |
OH |
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| Sophia Tulino |
Santa Clara |
OH |
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