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AAC Announces 2023 Women's Volleyball Players to Watch List

AAC Announces 2023 Women's Volleyball Players to Watch List
August 17, 2023

WALESKA, Ga. - The 2023 Women's Volleyball Players to Watch List is out, the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) announced on Friday.

Conference coaches each could submit a total of three student-athletes who they anticipate will have an impact on their team this season.

There are several All-AAC honorees as well as a few newcomers. Kira Rymer of Columbia International headlines the group. The 2022 AAC Player of the Year earned NAIA All-American First Team honors and set CIU's single-season record for kills in a match, season, and career.

Here is the entire Players to Watch List.

School Name Position Class 2022 Stats/Highlights Reason to Watch
Bluefield Nayerly Jimenez Setter Senior 10.3 assists/set Returning AAC Setter of the Year
Bluefield Georgia Lewis Libero/DS Junior 4.55 digs/set, 33 reception errors Team leader on the floor
Bluefield Joslyn Evans Outside Hitter Junior 3.05 kills/set, 3.6 points/set Should make immediate impact scoring points and blocking
Brenau Mary Ellen Enright Outside Hitter Senior 4.75 kills/set, 508 kills, 32 aces NAIA All-American, First Team All-AAC
Brenau Gabby Hogle Setter/Libero Senior 9.37 assists/set 2022 Second Team All-AAC
Brenau Malone Davis Right Side Junior 209 kills 2021 AAC All-Freshmen Team
Bryan Abby Rector Outside Hitter Senior 430 kills, .250 hitting% Consistently performs well each year
Bryan Raegan Malugin Middle Blocker Junior 245 kills, .300 hitting% Healthy and performing better than last season
Bryan Elliott Brock Libero Junior 617 digs, 5.14 digs/set Better than last season and improving daily
Columbia Amiri Mason Libero/DS Junior 3.31 digs/set Improved tenfold during the offseason. Defensive leader
Columbia Debra Shephard Setter Freshman Newcomer Raw talent, high court and volleyball IQ
CIU Kira Rymer Right Side Senior 614 kills, .343 hitting%, 79 blocks AAC Player of the Year, First Team NAIA All-American
CIU Alana Sanjurjo Outside Hitter Senior 308 kills, .212 hitting%, 257 digs Overshadowed by Rymer last year, expect a breakout season
CIU Gracen Norris OH/MB Freshman 309 kills in high school Led Leo HS (Ind.) to 21-10 record
Johnson Maddy Taylor Middle Blocker Senior 258 kills, .332 hitting%, 108 blocks Aggressive, hardworking middle with great athleticism
Johnson Hannah Lukey Setter Junior 9.64 assists/set, 3.05 digs/set Back from knee injury during the middle of last season
Johnson Marissa McMahon Libero Sophomore 424 digs, 3.72 digs/set Came in as a freshman and took over libero position
Kentucky Christian Delanie Gilliland Outside Hitter Senior 264 kills Season veteran, switching from right side to outside
Kentucky Christian Emily Adkins Middle Blocker Senior 172 kills Natural leader. Extremely high volleyball IQ
Kentucky Christian Gwen Messer Right Side Senior 102 kills Lefty with a big swing
Milligan Ella Maiden Middle Blocker Junior 298 kills, .310 hitting%, 136 blocks Stronger than ever. First Team All-AAC
Milligan Kolbie Greene Setter Junior 1,036 assists, 8.85 assists/set, 378 digs First Team All-AAC
Milligan Shelby Miller Outside Hitter Sophomore 335 kills, 2.91 kills/set All-AAC and All-Freshmen Team in 2022
Montreat Kamryn Wolf Outside Hitter Junior 204 kills, .209 hitting%, 22 blocks Powerful outside who has taken a large leadership role
Montreat Katie Dickey Outside Hitter Senior 241 kills, 228 digs, 12 blocks Power player. Agile and aggressive
Montreat Shalice Lynch Middle Blocker Senior 72 kills, 60 blocks Grown into a player that takes on leadership without question
Pikeville Cheyenne Martinez Setter Senior 1,493 career assists Athletic, left-handed setter
Pikeville Kiara Warren DS/Libero Senior 383 digs Increased her quickness and becoming a solid passer
Pikeville Oksana Vucetic Middle Hitter Senior 160 career blocks 6-foot-2 middle with improve footwork
Reinhardt Juliette Baffico OH/Libero Freshman N/A Super talented athlete coming from France. High IQ
Reinhardt Ashlynn Barnes Setter Sophomore N/A NCAA transfer with high IQ and able to move the ball around well
Reinhardt Jenna Smith OH/MB Freshman N/A Tall OH who was top 5 in Georgia for hitting in high school
St. Andrews Carmen Wright Setter/RS Senior 147 kills, 523 assists Provides great depth at various positions
St. Andrews Bailey Zivitski Libero/DS Senior 243 digs Worked hard during the summer, excited to see what she brings
St. Andrews Xaria Pearson Middle Blocker Sophomore 136 kills, 99 blocks Very coachable and brings a lot to the table
Tennessee Wesleyan Amya Sutton OH/RS Sophomore 249 kills, 33 aces, 21 blocks Key player in TWU offense. Has power, speed and shot selection
Tennessee Wesleyan Olivia Bolin Setter Junior 317 assists, 18 aces Runs the floor well with a quick tempo offense
Tennessee Wesleyan Megan Thompson Libero/DS Sophomore 341 digs, 18 aces, 76 assists Good ball control. Great ability to read the floor
Truett McConnell Ranavia Neal Middle Blocker Grad Student 2.12 kills/set, .284 hitting% Very experienced and great leadership skills
Truett McConnell Katie Williams Outside Hitter Senior 2.04 kills/set, .217 hitting% Experienced and has competitive edge with a strong arm
Truett McConnell Jordan Roberts Middle Blocker Senior 392 kills, 293 digs, 50 blocks Great attitude and keeps elevating her game
Union Raquel Kessler Middle Hitter Senior 350 kills, 257 digs, 113 blocks Top 5 blocker in the AAC. First Team All-AAC
Union Maddy McGaughey Setter/Libero Sophomore 225 assists, 344 digs Natural leader and floor general on the court
Union Lara Gomes Libero Junior N/A JUCO transfer who won at regional at Vincennes (Ind.)