Penn State’s Katie Schumacher-Cawley was a unanimous choice as the national coach of the year as we announce our 2024 VolleyballMag All-Americans, player of the year and coach of the year.
Pittsburgh right side Olivia Babcock is the national player of the year. Nebraska llbero Lexi Rodriguez and Penn State outside hitter Jess Mruzik also got first-place votes. Also getting votes for second or third were Creighton’s Kendra Wait, Florida’s Kennedy Martin and Wisconsin’s Sarah Franklin.
Penn State setter Izzy Starck was nearly unanimous as the freshman of the year. Ayden Ames of Texas got a first-place vote and other votes for second or third went to Wisconsin’s Charlie Feurbringer, Louisville’s Nayellis Cabello, Pitt’s Ryla Jones and Stanford’s Ipar Kurt.
Our four-team All-American list represents the tremendous talent in NCAA Division I volleyball, and, for that matter, so do our extensive honorable-mentions.
Third-year Penn State coach Schumacher-Cawley not only directed her team to its first NCAA title since 2014, she became the first woman head coach to win a DI championship. She won a title with Penn State in 1999, and, incredibly, never misssed a match this season while going through chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Babcock, also the AVCA national player of the year, had a fantastic season for Pitt. The 6-foot-4 right side, the VolleyballMag national freshman of the year in 2023, led the top-ranked Panthers in kills with 538 (4.72/set), had 71 aces (third in the nation at .62/set) and had 128 blocks, nine solo.
Starck capped her first season with an NCAA title. She averaged 10.98 assists per set, was second on the team in digs with 342 (2.53/set) and had 99 blocks.
Our panel of media voters were instructed to pick four teams of 14 players each and each team had to have — but was not limited to — at least one setter and one libero. Accordingly, each of our four teams has at least one of each.
Also worth noting is that the AVCA committee meets and selects its three teams and honorable mentions before the NCAA national semifinals. We wait until the season is completed:
VolleyballMag First-Team All-Americans
1. Olivia Babcock, RS, Pittsburgh
2. Brooklyn Deleye, OH, Kentucky
3. Rachel Fairbanks, S, Pittsburgh
4. Sami Francis, MB, Stanford
5. Sarah Franklin, OH, Wisconsin
6. Andi Jackson, MB, Nebraska
7. Kennedy Martin, RS, Florida
8. Kami Miner, S, Stanford
9. Jess Mruzik, OH, Penn State
10. Elena Scott, L, Louisville
11. Izzy Starck, S, Penn State
12. Torrey Stafford, OH, Pittsburgh
13. Lexi Rodriguez, L, Nebraska
14. Kendra Wait, S, Creighton
VolleyballMag Second-Team All-Americans
1. Mimi Colyer, OH, Oregon
2. Anna DeBeer, OH, Louisville
3. Emma Grome, S, Kentucky
4. Eva Hudson, OH, Purdue
5. Bre Kelley, MB, Pittsburgh
6. Logan Lednicky, RS, Texas A&M
7. Harper Murray, OH, Nebraska
8. Onye Ofoegbu, MB, Oregon
9. Melanie Parra, OH, TCU
10. Bergen Reilly, S, Nebraska
11. Elia Rubin, OH, Stanford
12. Mary Shroll, L, Arizona State
13. Norah Sis, OH, Creighton
14. Madisen Skinner, OH, Texas
VolleyballMag Third-Team All-Americans
1. Lexie Almodovar, OH, Dayton
2. Maddy Bilinovic, L, Creighton
3. Nina Cajic, OH, Tennessee
4. Raven Colvin, MB, Purdue
5. Charlie Feurbringer, S, Wisconsin
6. Gillian Grimes, L, Penn State
7. Julia Hanson, OH, Minnesota
8. Jordan Iliff, OH, Missouri
9. Khori Louis, MB, Florida State
10. Ava Martin, OH, Creighton
11. Elena Oglive, L, Stanford
12. Naya Shime, RS, SMU
13. Raina Terry, OH, Illinois
14. Argentina Ung, S, Arizona State
VolleyballMag Fourth-Team All-Americans
1. Caylen Alexander, OH, Hawai’i
2. Ally Batenhorst, OH, USC
3. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, MB, Texas A&M
4. Flormarie Heredia Colon, OH, Miami
5. Camryn Hannah, OH, Penn State
6. Kate Georgiades, L, Houston
7. Caroline Kerr, S, Tennessee
8. Audrey Koenig, OH, Florida State
9. Emily Londot, RS, Ohio State
10. Maya Sands, L, Missouri
11. Alexis Shelton, OH, Oklahoma
12. Anna Smrek, RS, Wisconsin
13. Mia Tuaniga, S, USC
14. Mychael Vernon, OH, Missouri
VolleyballMag Honorable-Mention All-Americans
Taylor Alt, OH, Toledo
Yadhira Anchante, S, Marquette
Lucy Arndt, OH, Southeast Missouri
Maria Clara Andrade, OH, South Florida
Victoria Barrett, OH, Towson
Milan Bayless, OH, Colgate
Merritt Beason, RS, Nebraska
Bree Borum, S, Loyola Chicago
Giulia Cardona, RS, Evansville
Kamryn Chaney, OH, Princeton
Chloe Chicoine, OH, Purdue
Grace Chillingworth, OH/RS, Pepperdine
Syd Cole, S, Northern Colorado
Kaylee Cox, OH, Western Kentucky
Celia Cullen, S, SMU
Cara Cresse, MB, Louisville
Geli Cyr, OH, Arizona State
Macy Daufeldt, OH, Drake
Carly Diehl, S, Yale
Alexa Edwards, OH, Pacific
Skye Ekes, OH, Mercer
Kira Fallert, OH, UNI
Brianna Ford, OH, UT Arlington
Ramsey Gary, L, Indiana
Elena Giacomini, RS, Quinnipiac
Kamryn Gibadlo, OH, Utah
Elise Goetzinger, MB, Creighton
Cicily Hidalgo, OH, Southeastern Louisiana
Tsvetelina Ilieva, OH, Binghamton
Aubrey Hamilton, OH, Marquette
Tori Hester, OH, Troy
Lauryn Hovey, RS, Bowling Green
Madolyn Isringhausen, OH, Tennessee Tech
Claire Jeter, MB, Arizona State
Malaya Jones, RS, Colorado State
Carolina Jurevicius, RS, Penn State
Shelby Kent, OH, FGCU
Patrycja Lagida, OH, Chicago State
Cheridyn Leverette, OH, UCLA
Claire Little, OH, BYU
Grace Lopez, OH, Miami
Dylan Maberry, OH, High Point
Rya McKinnon, OH, Howard
Michelle Ohwobete, OH, Oregon
Toyosi Onabanjo, MB, Kansas
Tamara Otene, OH, Georgia Tech
Kylee Owens, OH, Prairie View A&M
Panna Ratkai, OH, Purdue Fort Wayne
Amanda Rice, RS, NC State
Jurnee Robinson, OH, LSU
Melani Shaffmaster, S, Minnesota
Jalyn Stout, RS/S, Coastal Carolina
Taylor Trammell, MB, Purdue
Camryn Turner, S, Kansas
Nia Washington, OH, Ole Miss
Kaya Weaver, MB, UTEP
Riley Whitesides, OH, South Carolina
Jada Willis, L, Drake
Sylvie Zgonc, OH, South Dakota State