SAN MATEO, Calif. – San Diego nearly took home all the hardware for the 2022 West Coast Conference Volleyball all-conference awards, as the Conference announced its major award winners and all-conference teams on Monday.
All five individual awards as well as the all-conference teams were voted on solely by the WCC's 10 head coaches.
San Diego head coach Jennifer Petrie was tabbed the 2022 WCC Coach of the Year, while USD standout Katie Lukes was named the 2022 Player of the Year. Lukes' teammate Gabby Blossom won Setter of the Year honors, and Annie Benbow of USD won Libero of the Year. The Toreros, ranked No. 2 nationally, completed the WCC season a perfect 18-0 - the 14th undefeated Conference finish in WCC history - and enter the NCAA Tournament on a program-record 24-match winning streak.
The lone major award winner not from USD was Emily Hellmuth of Pepperdine who was named the 2022 WCC Freshman of the Year.
The winningest active coach in the WCC, Petrie picks up WCC Coach of the Year accolades for the seventh time in her career, and the first time since 2019. Petrie guided the Toreros to the WCC title after going unbeaten in WCC matches for the second time in program history (2004). During the current 24-match winning streak, USD also enjoyed a run of 13 straight sweeps during that span. USD faced six ranked teams and garnered a record of 5-1 in those contests.
Lukes becomes the 12th Torero to be named WCC Player of the Year in Conference history, and the first since Kristen Gengenbacher in 2017. A five-year standout for the Toreros, Lukes paces her team with her average of 3.79 kills per set. She is one kill shy of eighth all-time in school history. A two-time University Credit Union WCC Offensive Player of the Week, Lukes set her season high of 19 kills on three separate occasions in 2022.
Blossom transferred to USD this season, and her contributions have proven to be invaluable during USD's historic season. The transfer from Penn State ended the regular season leading the WCC in assists per set (11.20), which also ranks 10th in the nation. Since the award was instituted in 2019, Blossom becomes the second Torero to win the award, following Anna Newsome who earned the first one in 2019.
Ranking fourth in the WCC in digs per set (3.69), Benbow is the first USD player to pick up the award since it was instituted in 2019. The fifth-year standout for the Toreros became USD's all-time leader in digs, currently boasting 1,509. Picking up UCU WCC Defensive Player of the Week honors earlier this season, she has racked up 15 or more digs on eight occasions this season, including 20 in the regular-season finale at BYU.
Hellmuth paced the Waves with her kills per set average of 2.90, while being third in points (3.20 pps). Most recently, she tallied 12 kills in the regular-season finale. Hellmuth extends Pepperdine's streak of winning the last three WCC Freshman of the Year awards - Grace Chillingworth in 2021 and Meg Brown in 2020. She is the 15th Wave all-time to win Freshman of the Year in Conference history.
Whitney Bower (BYU) and Grace Froling (San Diego) earned All-WCC First Team honors for the fourth time, while Santa Clara's Julia Sangiacomo got the First Team nod for the third time in her career. Isabella Bareford (LMU), Leyla Blackwell (San Diego), Kari Geissberger (LMU), Heather Gneiting (BYU) and Lukes picked up First Team accolades for the second time.
Pepperdine's three first and second team selections give the Waves a Conference-best 110 career all-conference selections.
2022 WCC VOLLEYBALL AWARDS
| WCC COACH OF THE YEAR |
| Jennifer Petrie |
San Diego |
| WCC PLAYER OF THE YEAR |
| Katie Lukes |
San Diego |
Sr. |
| WCC SETTER OF THE YEAR |
| Gabby Blossom |
San Diego |
Sr. |
| WCC LIBERO OF THE YEAR |
| Annie Benbow |
San Diego |
Sr. |
| WCC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR |
| Emily Hellmuth |
Pepperdine |
OH |
ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
YEAR |
| Phoebe Awoleye |
LMU |
MB |
So. |
| Isabella Bareford |
LMU |
S |
So. |
| Leyla Blackwell |
San Diego |
MB |
Jr. |
| Gabby Blossom |
San Diego |
S |
Sr. |
| Whitney Bower |
BYU |
S |
Sr. |
| Meg Brown |
Pepperdine |
MB |
Jr. |
| Grace Chillingworth |
Pepperdine |
OH |
So. |
| Grace Frohling |
San Diego |
O/S |
Sr. |
| Kari Geissberger |
LMU |
OH |
So. |
| Heather Gneiting |
BYU |
MB |
Sr. |
| Biamba Kabengele |
Pacific |
OH |
Sr. |
| Erin Livingston |
BYU |
OH |
Jr. |
| Whitney Llarenas |
BYU |
MB |
Sr. |
| Katie Lukes |
San Diego |
OH |
Sr. |
| Jacquelyn Moore |
LMU |
MB |
So. |
| Julia Sangiacomo |
Santa Clara |
OH |
Sr. |
ALL-WCC SECOND TEAM
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
YEAR |
| Annie Benbow |
San Diego |
LB |
Sr. |
| Claire Crijns |
San Francisco |
RS |
Sr. |
| Breana Edwards |
San Diego |
OH |
Sr. |
| Hawley Harrer |
Saint Mary's |
OPP |
Sr. |
| Riley Patterson |
Pepperdine |
L/DS |
Sr. |
| Kjersti Strong |
Saint Mary's |
MB |
Jr. |
ALL-WCC FRESHMAN TEAM
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
| Emily Hellmuth |
Pepperdine |
OH |
| Lia Okammor |
Santa Clara |
MB |
| Vanessa Polk |
Pepperdine |
MB |
| Kate Prior |
BYU |
MB |
| Maui Robins |
Portland |
PA |
| Layla Truitt |
Santa Clara |
OH |
| Abby Wadas |
San Francisco |
L |
ALL-WCC HONORABLE MENTION
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
| Kennedy Croft |
Gonzaga |
OH |
| Alexa Edwards |
Pacific |
OH |
| Kat Georgiadis |
Santa Clara |
DS/L |
| Jayde Harris |
Portland |
PA |
| Sam Hastings |
LMU |
LB |
| Alyssa Hughes |
Gonzaga |
MB |
| Noelani Helm |
Portland |
S |
| Audrey Klemp |
LMU |
RS |
| Kelsey Knudsen |
BYU |
L |
| Lia Okammor |
Santa Clara |
MB |
| Kate Prior |
BYU |
MB |
| Haylee Stoner |
San Diego |
MB |
| Zoe Thiros |
Gonzaga |
OH |
| Jadyn Tubbs |
Pacific |
LB |
| Abby Wadas |
San Francisco |
L |
| Isabel Zelaya |
Pepperdine |
S |