Photo by: Steven Prunty
Mountaineers Awarded at Annual Banquet
April 19, 2018 03:39 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team celebrated the 2017 season with friends, family and fans last Saturday at Bartini Prime in Morgantown.
At the event, third-year coach Reed Sunahara and staff honored this year's letterwinners, as well as its five seniors, and handed out a number of yearly awards.
"I'm proud of the accomplishments we made this year," Sunahara said. "We got a lot better from the year before. We made some good strides and had a pretty good season, winning 21 matches on the year and making the postseason for the first time since 1991. That's something worth celebrating."
Middle blocker Mia Swanegan, a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, was presented with the team's MVP Award. Swanegan led the Mountaineers defensively, finishing third in the Big 12 with 1.23 blocks per set. She accumulated 10 blocks in a trio of matches this season, posting a team-high 150 blocks on the year, including 16 solo blocks. Swanegan also garnered All-Big 12 Second Team honors for the first time in her career and was named to the National Volleyball Invitational Championships (NIVC) All-Tournament Team as a senior.
Freshman defensive specialist Alexa Hasting and senior setter Emma Anderson both received this year's Newcomer Award. Hasting, a native of Plain City, Ohio, became the starting libero after senior Gianna Gotterba suffered a knee injury on the team's opening weekend. She notched a career-high 22 digs in a pair of matches this season. In all, Hasting amassed a total of 325 digs on the year, averaging 2.69 per set. Anderson, a transfer from South Alabama, helped WVU to its first-ever win over a ranked opponent, recording a career-high 47 assists vs. No. 14 Kansas back in November. The San Diego, California, native capped her senior campaign with 394 assists, averaging 7.43 per set.
Sophomore setter Erin Slinde won the team's Mountaineer Award, which honors the player that best exemplifies what it means to be a Mountaineer. It also is awarded to a student-athlete who strives to become a better person, teammate and student-athlete, as well as someone who is a good representative of the program, university and state. The Rosemount, Minnesota, native led the Mountaineers with 941 assists on the year, averaging 9.14 per set. Off the court, Slinde, who is a broadcast journalism major, was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team for the first time in her career. She also is a current member on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Senior Morgan Montgomery and Gotterba, both four-year players for the Mountaineers, earned this year's Captain Award. Gotterba returned to the starting lineup on Oct. 4, 2017, after suffering a knee injury, totaling 267 digs on the year to average 3.76 per set. Off the court, the Stockton, California, native earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors for the third straight season. She also was awarded the 2018 Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award by the Big 12 Conference, the league's highest academic honor. Montgomery also was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team. The Centennial, Colorado, native finished with 151 kills to average 1.96 per set on the year.
The Mountaineers wrap up their spring season with a match against Ohio University on Saturday, April 21. Admission is free, with a free one-hour youth clinic following the completion of the match. Pizza also will be given away to all who participate in the clinic. The match is slated to begin at 11 a.m. at the WVU Coliseum.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
At the event, third-year coach Reed Sunahara and staff honored this year's letterwinners, as well as its five seniors, and handed out a number of yearly awards.
"I'm proud of the accomplishments we made this year," Sunahara said. "We got a lot better from the year before. We made some good strides and had a pretty good season, winning 21 matches on the year and making the postseason for the first time since 1991. That's something worth celebrating."
Middle blocker Mia Swanegan, a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, was presented with the team's MVP Award. Swanegan led the Mountaineers defensively, finishing third in the Big 12 with 1.23 blocks per set. She accumulated 10 blocks in a trio of matches this season, posting a team-high 150 blocks on the year, including 16 solo blocks. Swanegan also garnered All-Big 12 Second Team honors for the first time in her career and was named to the National Volleyball Invitational Championships (NIVC) All-Tournament Team as a senior.
Freshman defensive specialist Alexa Hasting and senior setter Emma Anderson both received this year's Newcomer Award. Hasting, a native of Plain City, Ohio, became the starting libero after senior Gianna Gotterba suffered a knee injury on the team's opening weekend. She notched a career-high 22 digs in a pair of matches this season. In all, Hasting amassed a total of 325 digs on the year, averaging 2.69 per set. Anderson, a transfer from South Alabama, helped WVU to its first-ever win over a ranked opponent, recording a career-high 47 assists vs. No. 14 Kansas back in November. The San Diego, California, native capped her senior campaign with 394 assists, averaging 7.43 per set.
Sophomore setter Erin Slinde won the team's Mountaineer Award, which honors the player that best exemplifies what it means to be a Mountaineer. It also is awarded to a student-athlete who strives to become a better person, teammate and student-athlete, as well as someone who is a good representative of the program, university and state. The Rosemount, Minnesota, native led the Mountaineers with 941 assists on the year, averaging 9.14 per set. Off the court, Slinde, who is a broadcast journalism major, was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team for the first time in her career. She also is a current member on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Senior Morgan Montgomery and Gotterba, both four-year players for the Mountaineers, earned this year's Captain Award. Gotterba returned to the starting lineup on Oct. 4, 2017, after suffering a knee injury, totaling 267 digs on the year to average 3.76 per set. Off the court, the Stockton, California, native earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors for the third straight season. She also was awarded the 2018 Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award by the Big 12 Conference, the league's highest academic honor. Montgomery also was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team. The Centennial, Colorado, native finished with 151 kills to average 1.96 per set on the year.
The Mountaineers wrap up their spring season with a match against Ohio University on Saturday, April 21. Admission is free, with a free one-hour youth clinic following the completion of the match. Pizza also will be given away to all who participate in the clinic. The match is slated to begin at 11 a.m. at the WVU Coliseum.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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