SAN BRUNO, Calif. – After winning its seventh straight West Coast Conference Championship last Friday in Santa Monica, Calif., LMU claimed all four major awards from the West Coast Conference Beach Volleyball All-Conference Honors, as anounced by the Conference on Wednesday.
LMU's major award wins include John Mayer winning Coach of the Year, Anna Pelloia and Tanon Rosenthal earning Pair of the Year, Chloe Hooker claimed Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and Josefine Schaekel won Freshman of the Year.
All-conference honors and major individual awards were selected solely by the seven conference head coaches.
Coach Mayer earned West Coast Conference Coach of the Year for the seventh year in a row, marking the most consecutive coach of the year recognitions a conference coach has earned from a current sport within the league. Coach Mayer's seven recognitions passes the six Gonzaga's Mark Few in men's basketball (2001-2006) and Pepperdine’s Michael Beard in men’s golf (2016-2022 - no championship in 2020) have collected in a row. Mayer guided the Lions back to the NCAA Championship as the No. 7 seed after winning the West Coast Conference Championship. The 29-10 Lions have 10 AVCA top-15 wins this season.
The duo of Pelloia and Rosenthal were paired a majority of the season together on the first court. The pair went 17-6 on the season and are the sixth pair from LMU to win Pair of the Year. The duo claimed one West Coast Conference Pair of the Week this season.
Hooker earned back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors after going 28-8 primarily on the second and third courts primarily. Hooker helped the Lions earn victories against No. 3 USC and No. 11 Grand Canyon twice to end the regular season on court No. 2. Hooker also became the program's leading wins holder at the West Coast Conference Beach Volleyball Tournament.
Josefine Schaekel was the fifth Lion to earn Freshman of the Year. Schaekel was 26-13 on the year, playing primarily on the fourth court. Schaekel and teammate Maja Kruczek earned a match point against No. 3 USC to help the Lions win the dual on the final weekend of the regular season.
LMU and Pepperdine both garnered four student-athletes on the all-conference first team. LMU's Hooker, Rosenthal, Pelloia and Ines Piret hold the conference honor for the Lions. Hooker garnered all-conference recognition for the fourth straight year while making her third appearance on the first team. Pelloia earned her third straight first team honors this season. Pepperdine claimed four spots on the first team, with Emma Eden earning her second consecutive appearance on the team. The Waves' Michaela Cyrani, Gabie Perez and Maddy Snow earned first team accolades after Perez earned a second team spot in 2024. Santa Clara's Alexandra Urbina and Sadie Snipes earned first team accolades after both being part of the league's second team and all-freshman team.
LMU, San Francisco and Santa Clara comprised the freshman team, with the Broncos claiming four spots for the freshman honors.
2026 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year
John Mayer, LMU
2026 West Coast Conference Pair of the Year
Anna Pelloia and Tanon Rosenthal, LMU
2026 West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year
Chloe Hooker, LMU
2026 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year
Josefine Schaekel, LMU
2026 All-West Coast Conference Beach Volleyball First Team
Avery Cukjati, Santa Clara
Michaela Cyrani, Pepperdine
Emma Eden, Pepperdine
Chloe Hooker, LMU
Anna Pelloia, LMU
Gabbie Perez, Pepperdine
Ines Piret, LMU
Tanon Rosenthal, LMU
Sadie Snipes, Santa Clara
Maddy Snow, Pepperdine
2026 All-West Coast Conference Beach Volleyball Second Team
Hannah Couch, Saint Mary’s
Ellie Davis, LMU
Emi Erickson, Pepperdine
Hannah Glick, Saint Mary’s
Magdalena Rabitsch, LMU
Rainie Stevens, San Francisco
Alexandra Urbina, Santa Clara
Sammy Wood, Santa Clara
2026 All-West Coast Conference Beach Volleyball All-Freshman Team
Avery Cukjati, Santa Clara
Michaela Cyrani, Pepperdine
Alice Jagielska, Pepperdine
Isla Johnson, Saint Mary’s
Josefine Schaekel, LMU
Maddy Snow, Pepperdine
Kiana Stevenson, LMU