SAN MATEO, Calif. – No. 5 LMU went undefeated in WCC matches this season, won its third straight WCC Championship last Saturday in Santa Monica, Calif., and the Lions found their names all over the WCC end of the year awards, as announced by the Conference on Thursday. The Lions picked up multiple major awards and placed a league-best five student-athletes on 18 available spots between the first and second teams.
All-WCC First, Second and Freshman Team selections and major individual awards were selected solely by the seven conference head coaches.
LMU’s Reka Orsi Toth and Megan Rice earned 2022 WCC Pair of the Year honors becoming the second Lion tandem to do so in the third year of the award. The duo was also recently named AVCA First Team All-Americans.
John Mayer collected his third straight WCC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Lions back into the NCAA Championship as a No. 4 seed. LMU tied a program best with its AVCA national ranking of No. 5. LMU concluded the regular season with a record of 29-7 and entered NCAAs after not dropping a single court during the WCC Beach Volleyball Championship. The Lions swept Hawaii in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Wednesday.
Orsi Toth picked up multiple WCC major awards as she was also tabbed the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the second Lion to garner the recognition.
Vilhelmiina Prihti became the third straight Lion to secure WCC Freshman of the Year honors, joining Orsi Toth who won it in 2019 and Madi Firnett in 2021. Prihti shared the accolade with Pepperdine’s McKenna Thomas. She and her teammate Simone Priebe amassed a record of 23-6 on the second court for the Waves. Both Prihti and Thomas were also named to the WCC All-Freshman Team.
Orsi Toth earned First Team all-conference honors for the third straight season, while Rice made it for the second straight year. Julia Sangiacomo of Santa Clara and Chandler Cowell of Saint Mary’s both picked up First Team accolades after making the Second Team last year.
Makenna Joyce of Saint Mary’s earned Second Team recognition after making the All-Freshman Team a year ago.
2022 WCC Coach of the Year
John Mayer, LMU
2022 WCC Pair of the Year
Reka Orsi Toth and Megan Rice, LMU
2022 WCC Defensive Player of the Year
Reka Orsi Toth, LMU
2022 WCC Co-Freshmen of the Year
Vilhelmiina Prihti, LMU and McKenna Thomas, Pepperdine
2022 All-WCC Beach Volleyball First Team
Name Year School
Chandler Cowell SR Saint Mary’s
Marine Kinna GR LMU
Jennifer Laird GR Saint Mary’s
Reka Orsi Toth SR LMU
Melanie Paul SR Pepperdine
Simone Priebe SR Pepperdine
Megan Rice GR LMU
Julia Sangiacomo JR Santa Clara
Michelle Shaffer SR Santa Clara
Madison Shields SR Pepperdine
2022 All-WCC Beach Volleyball Second Team
Name Year School
Selbie Christensen SR Saint Mary’s
Macy Gordon GR LMU
Noelani Helm JR Portland
Alexia Inman GR Santa Clara
Makenna Joyce SO Saint Mary’s
Avery Poppinga GR LMU
Nicole Robison FR Santa Clara
Grace Zilbert JR Portland
2022 All-WCC Beach Volleyball Freshman Team
Genevieve Bane, Saint Mary’s
Kate Clermont, Pepperdine
Alexie Epstein, Santa Clara
Vilhelmiina Prihti, LMU
Juju Quintero, Pepperdine
Isabelle Reffel, LMU
McKenna Thomas, Pepperdine
Abbey Thorup, LMU