ROCK HILL, S.C. – On the heels of the Trojans' South Atlantic Conference Tournament quarterfinal road win over Mars Hill, Monday night, Anderson's Noelle Knutsen, Madison Roy, Jaelyn Grimm and Liliana Kinder have earned all-conference accolades, as announced by the conference office, Wednesday afternoon.
Knutsen, who brought home all-conference accolades for the third time of her collegiate career, captured First-Team All-SAC accolades following a regular season that saw the Parker, Colo., native lead the league with a .393 hitting percentage. She ranked third in the conference with a career-high 303 kills, fourth in kills per set (3.22/set) and blocks per set (1.01/set), first in solo blocks with 33, seventh with 62 block assists and third in points and points per set.
The senior middle blocker was named SAC Defensive Player of the Week in mid-October and posted an impressive 16 matches with at least a .400 hitting accuracy, including a dozen at .500 or better. Knutsen has reached double-digit kills in 18 contests this season, including eight straight to close the regular season, while notching a season-high 20 kills in the Trojans' sweep of Texas A&M International in the Electric City Invitational.
She has tallied at least four total blocks on eight occasions this season, while reaching a season-best nine at UIndy in late August. Knutsen currently ranks fifth in the school record books with a .318 career hitting percentage and third with 350 total blocks.
Roy, a senior who ranked second in the league in assists per set (11.00/set) only to teammate Jenna Long, was named to the second team and collected all-conference recognition for the third consecutive season after sharing setting duties with Long throughout the campaign.
The North Myrtle Beach native recorded at least 40 assists on seven occasions this season, while reaching the 50+ assist plateau three times, including a season-best 63 assists in AU's five-set win over then 20th-ranked Wingate on Homecoming. She also posted a pair of double-doubles – against Limestone and Wingate – this season and ranks sixth in the school record books with 2,547 career assists and second in school history by dishing out 10.70 assists per set.
Grimm, who was named the SAC Defensive Player of the Week in late August, earned all-conference honors for the second straight year, finished the regular season by ranking fourth in the league with a career-high .381 hitting percentage. The Cedar Park, Texas, native also stands third in the conference with 1.06 blocks per set and fourth with a career-best 93 total blocks.
She knocked down double-figure kills four times, while recording a season-high 13 in the late-season win over Wingate. Grimm also recorded at least four blocks on 13 occasions, including a career-best eight against Montevallo in the UIndy Invitational.
Joining Grimm on the third team was senior Liliana Kinder, who finished the regular season with a career-high 277 kills, which places her sixth in the league. She is currently fifth in the SAC with 3.04 kills per set and is 23rd with her .235 hitting accuracy. Kinder is eighth and ninth, respectively, in the league in points and points per set after posting double-figure kills 15 times this season, including a season-high 21 at UIndy. The outside hitter from Ponte Vedra, Fla., also tallied 19 kills in AU's four-set win at Tusculum in mid-October.
Kinder garnered all-conference honors for the second time of her career after being named to the SAC All-Freshman squad following the 2018 campaign.
2022 SAC Volleyball All-Conference
First Team
Emiah Burrowes, Tusculum
Sarah Goddard, Mars Hill
Emily Johnson, Wingate
Shannon Kasprak, Wingate
Noelle Knutsen, Anderson
Molly Lambillotte, Wingate
Carly Sosnowski, Tusculum (L)
Julia Wheeler, Carson-Newman
Second Team
Emma Clark, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jana Cuk, Mars Hill
Ashley Hawkins, Lenoir-Rhyne
Abbey Hildenbrand, Carson-Newman
Laela Jimenez, Mars Hill (L)
Colette Romp, Lenoir-Rhyne
Madison Roy, Anderson
Maggie Young, Wingate
Third Team
Elise Carmichael, Tusculum
Blake Cherry, Carson-Newman
Emmagrace Cobb, Carson-Newman
Jaelyn Grimm, Anderson
Liliana Kinder, Anderson
Maggie Mullen, Wingate (L)
Carli Pigza, Tusculum
Jordan Schmucker, Mars Hill
All-Freshman
Emmaleigh Allen, Lenoir-Rhyne
Martina Foster, Tusculum
Laela Jimenez, Mars Hill
Emily Johnson, Wingate
Tatum Riddle, Limestone
Samantha Shaffer, Newberry
Player of the Year
Shannon Kasprak, Wingate
Freshman of the Year
Emmaleigh Allen, Lenoir-Rhyne
Coach of the Year
Shelton Collier, Wingate
Statistical Champions
Hitting Percentage: Noelle Knutsen, Anderson (.393)
Kills Per Set: Julia Wheeler, Carson-Newman (4.44)
Assists Per Set: Shannon Kasprak, Wingate (10.26)
Blocks Per Set: Emily Johnson, Wingate (1.17)
Service Aces: Avery Webb, Newberry (52)
Digs Per Set: Laela Jimenez, Mars Hill (5.72)
Team Hitting Percentage: Wingate (.288)
Team Assists Per Set: Wingate (12.92)
Team Kills Per Set: Wingate (13.83)
Team Winning Percentage: Wingate (.931)
Team Opponent Hitting Percentage: Wingate (.087)
Team Blocks Per Set: Wingate (2.52)
Team Service Aces Per Set: Wingate (2.09)
Team Digs Per Set: Mars Hill (19.34)
