Swanegan, Caffrey Earn Big 12 Honors
November 27, 2017 04:36 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan and sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey of the West Virginia University volleyball team earned a pair of Big 12 postseason awards, as announced by the league on Monday.
Caffrey was named to the All-Big 12 First Team for the second time in her career, while Swanegan earned postseason recognition for the first time in her four-year career, landing on the All-Big 12 Second Team.
"Payton and Mia work to get better every single day," said third-year coach Reed Sunahara. "Their work ethic sets the tone for the rest of the team, and they're very deserving of these honors. Our future continues to look bright, and I'm happy there is still more volleyball to be played for these two, especially for Mia."
Caffrey finished the regular season ranked first in the league in service aces, totaling 51 on the year to average 0.46 per set. She also sat inside the top six in two other Big 12 categories, averaging 4.15 points per set (fifth) and 3.46 kills per set (sixth). Defensively, she averaged 2.41 digs per set, racking up 270 on the year to rank second on the team. She also ended the regular season with 48 blocks. Caffrey has notched 15 double-doubles this season, including back-to-back double-doubles to close out league play last week.
The Chuluota, Florida, native has notched 388 kills thus far and is the first Mountaineer to earn All-Big 12 First Team accolades two years in a row since West Virginia joined the league in 2012.
Swanegan, a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, ended the regular season ranked second in the Big 12 with 1.25 blocks per set. She posted 10 total blocks on three occasions this season and leads WVU's blocking efforts with 138.0 blocks on the year. She also ended the regular season hitting .261 with 249 kills on 548 swings.
Fifteen student-athletes earned All-Big 12 First Team honors, 10 were awarded All-Big 12 Second Team accolades and six were named to the All-Freshman Team. Six of 15 first team selections were sophomores or freshmen, marking the second-most underclassmen honored in Big 12 history and tying the highest since 2011.
The All-Big 12 awards are voted on by the league's coaches.
Additionally, Caffrey has been tabbed as the Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 27. She shares the award with Yossiana Pressley of Baylor.
This week marks the first time this season and the sixth time in the last two years Caffrey has earned a Big 12 weekly award.
The Mountaineers closed their 2017 regular-season slate with back-to-back road wins in Big 12 play, defeating Kansas State, 3-0, on Wednesday and topping No. 14 Kansas, 3-2, on Saturday. With Wednesday's win, WVU earned a season sweep over the Wildcats for the first time in program history. The Mountaineers also captured their first-ever win over a top-25 opponent, defeating the Jayhawks for the first time in program history on Saturday.
Caffrey paved the way for WVU offensively, registering 41 kills on 95 attacks to hit .337 in two matches. She averaged 5.12 points, 0.75 service aces and 5.94 points per set to rank second in three categories among all Big 12 players for the week.
Caffrey totaled 13 kills on 30 attacks to hit .400 in the win at K-State. She also led the defense with 15 digs to go along with three service aces, two assists and one block attack. Caffrey more than doubled her kill total three days later, notching a season-best 28 kills on 65 swings to earn a .308 hitting efficiency vs. the Jayhawks. She also added 13 digs and three service aces in the upset win.
Of note, Caffrey also was named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week for the week on Nov. 27.
The Mountaineers will make their first appearance in the postseason since 1991 after earning an automatic bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) Sunday evening.
West Virginia (18-12, 6-10) plays host to Maryland Eastern Shore (27-8, 11-0 MEAC) in the second of two matches on Tuesday, Nov. 28, with first serve set for 7 p.m. ET inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. Campbell (20-11, 10-6 Big South) and Temple (19-9, 15-5 AAC) will meet at 4:30 p.m. in the first contest.
The winners of Tuesday's matches will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 29, in the tournament's second round at 6 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum.
Single-match tickets are available at a cost of $6 for general admission, $5 for students and $4 for youth and seniors. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $3 each. Tickets are available by visiting , calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum.
West Virginia finished fifth in the Big 12 Conference and had an 18-win season for the first time since 2013.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Caffrey was named to the All-Big 12 First Team for the second time in her career, while Swanegan earned postseason recognition for the first time in her four-year career, landing on the All-Big 12 Second Team.
"Payton and Mia work to get better every single day," said third-year coach Reed Sunahara. "Their work ethic sets the tone for the rest of the team, and they're very deserving of these honors. Our future continues to look bright, and I'm happy there is still more volleyball to be played for these two, especially for Mia."
Caffrey finished the regular season ranked first in the league in service aces, totaling 51 on the year to average 0.46 per set. She also sat inside the top six in two other Big 12 categories, averaging 4.15 points per set (fifth) and 3.46 kills per set (sixth). Defensively, she averaged 2.41 digs per set, racking up 270 on the year to rank second on the team. She also ended the regular season with 48 blocks. Caffrey has notched 15 double-doubles this season, including back-to-back double-doubles to close out league play last week.
The Chuluota, Florida, native has notched 388 kills thus far and is the first Mountaineer to earn All-Big 12 First Team accolades two years in a row since West Virginia joined the league in 2012.
Swanegan, a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, ended the regular season ranked second in the Big 12 with 1.25 blocks per set. She posted 10 total blocks on three occasions this season and leads WVU's blocking efforts with 138.0 blocks on the year. She also ended the regular season hitting .261 with 249 kills on 548 swings.
Fifteen student-athletes earned All-Big 12 First Team honors, 10 were awarded All-Big 12 Second Team accolades and six were named to the All-Freshman Team. Six of 15 first team selections were sophomores or freshmen, marking the second-most underclassmen honored in Big 12 history and tying the highest since 2011.
The All-Big 12 awards are voted on by the league's coaches.
Additionally, Caffrey has been tabbed as the Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 27. She shares the award with Yossiana Pressley of Baylor.
This week marks the first time this season and the sixth time in the last two years Caffrey has earned a Big 12 weekly award.
The Mountaineers closed their 2017 regular-season slate with back-to-back road wins in Big 12 play, defeating Kansas State, 3-0, on Wednesday and topping No. 14 Kansas, 3-2, on Saturday. With Wednesday's win, WVU earned a season sweep over the Wildcats for the first time in program history. The Mountaineers also captured their first-ever win over a top-25 opponent, defeating the Jayhawks for the first time in program history on Saturday.
Caffrey paved the way for WVU offensively, registering 41 kills on 95 attacks to hit .337 in two matches. She averaged 5.12 points, 0.75 service aces and 5.94 points per set to rank second in three categories among all Big 12 players for the week.
Caffrey totaled 13 kills on 30 attacks to hit .400 in the win at K-State. She also led the defense with 15 digs to go along with three service aces, two assists and one block attack. Caffrey more than doubled her kill total three days later, notching a season-best 28 kills on 65 swings to earn a .308 hitting efficiency vs. the Jayhawks. She also added 13 digs and three service aces in the upset win.
Of note, Caffrey also was named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week for the week on Nov. 27.
The Mountaineers will make their first appearance in the postseason since 1991 after earning an automatic bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) Sunday evening.
West Virginia (18-12, 6-10) plays host to Maryland Eastern Shore (27-8, 11-0 MEAC) in the second of two matches on Tuesday, Nov. 28, with first serve set for 7 p.m. ET inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. Campbell (20-11, 10-6 Big South) and Temple (19-9, 15-5 AAC) will meet at 4:30 p.m. in the first contest.
The winners of Tuesday's matches will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 29, in the tournament's second round at 6 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum.
Single-match tickets are available at a cost of $6 for general admission, $5 for students and $4 for youth and seniors. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $3 each. Tickets are available by visiting , calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum.
West Virginia finished fifth in the Big 12 Conference and had an 18-win season for the first time since 2013.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballVB: BYU Cinematic Recap
Saturday, October 04
2025 Volleyball Coal Rush Uniform Reveal
Thursday, October 02
Jen Greeny | Sept. 23 | ESPN+ Halftime Interview
Tuesday, September 30
VB: Dolphin Volleyball Classic Cinematic Recap
Sunday, September 21
