Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia) was named the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, one of three postseason awards the first-year player picked up and one of three Seattle University volleyball players honored, as selected by the league’s head volleyball coaches and announced Sunday by the conference office.
In all matches, Ivanis finished the regular season fourth in the WAC in kills per set (3.00) and sixth in the league in service aces per set (0.27), leading the Redhawks in both categories with 285 kills and 26 service aces. In WAC matches only, Ivanis finished third in the conference in kills per set (3.53) and ninth in service aces per set (0.27). She led the Redhawks with five double-doubles and was named WAC Player of the Week Oct. 14 after collecting a season-high 21 kills in Seattle U’s 3-1 win over Idaho Oct. 11.
Ivanis was also voted Second Team All-WAC alongside sophomore Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia), who finished the regular season with a .431 hitting percentage along with 3.26 kills per set. In WAC matches, Samadan was second in the league with a .446 hitting percentage, third in the WAC in service aces per set (0.35), and fifth in the conference in kills per set (3.08).
The six-member WAC All-Freshman Team included Ivanis and Seattle U setter Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.), who is just seven assists away from becoming the fifth different player in Redhawk program history to reach the 1,000-assist mark in a single season. Lane is fourth in the WAC in assists per set in all matches (9.37) and finished second in the league in assists per set in conference contests (10.47). Lane also collected 69 kills, 19 service aces, 166 digs, and 39 total blocks during her initial collegiate season.
Senior middle hitter Desiree Scott of New Mexico State was named WAC Player of the Year after ranking second in the conference in WAC matches in blocks (1.38), third in hitting percentage (.401), fifth in points (3.69) and ninth in kills (2.78). Aggie head coach Mike Jordan was named WAC Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 14-2 WAC record, the league’s regular season title, and the number one seed in the upcoming WAC Tournament.
Seattle University (12-19, 9-7 WAC), the sixth seed in the WAC Volleyball Tournament, will face third seed Utah Valley Monday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. Arizona time (4 p.m. Pacific time) at the GCU Arena on the campus of Grand Canyon University. The Redhawks split the season series with the Wolverines, with each team winning on their own home floor. Live stats and live video will be available on WACSports.com.