Photo by: Steven Prunty
Mountaineers Awarded at Annual Banquet
April 25, 2019 04:44 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team celebrated the 2018 season with family and friends last Saturday at Bartini Prime in Morgantown.
At the event, fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara and staff honored this year's letterwinners and handed out a number of yearly awards.
"The End-of-the-Year Banquet is always a great event to recap the season," Sunahara said. "Our banquet is growing, and it's great to have family, friends and fans come out to share a special night with our team. We're on the climb, and I can't wait to see what next year has in store."
Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans was presented with the team's Offensive MVP Award. Evans played in all but one set for the Mountaineers this season, leading the team with 352 kills to average 3.17 per set to rank ninth in the Big 12 Conference. The Palmdale, California, native recorded double-digit kills in 20 matches, including seven of the last nine. Evans also tallied a pair of 20-plus kill performances on the year, posting a season-high 21 kills on 49 attempts in the 3-1 loss at Texas Tech on Sept. 22.
A year after earning the team's Newcomer Award, sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting received this year's Defensive MVP honor. After splitting time at libero with classmate Lindsay Proctor, Hasting's earned herself a spot in the starting lineup midway through the season. The Plain City, Ohio, native amassed a total of 359 digs to average 3.21 per set. She recorded double-digit digs in 19 matches, notching a career-high 28 digs in the five-set loss at TCU on Oct. 18. Additionally, Hasting was named to the 2018 Academic All-Big 12 First Team for the first time in her career, as she landed on the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team a year ago.
Juniors Erin Slinde and Gabrielle Cuckovich both received this year's Captain Award. Slinde dished out 179 assists on the year to average 5.42 per set. Off the court, the broadcast journalism major earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors for the second consecutive season. Additionally, the Rosemount, Minnesota, native was named this year's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) co-president. Cuckovich, who is majoring in marketing and interning with WVU's Athletic Marketing Office, also was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team list for the second year in a row. The Rochester Hills, Michigan, native finished the season with 144 digs, averaging 1.71 per set.
Freshman setter Lacey Zerwas 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 Phoenix native led the Mountaineers with 881 assists, averaging 9.18 per set. Off the court, Zerwas is majoring in university studies.
As a team, the Mountaineers claimed 11 victories on the season. Of note, WVU faced four teams which made the 2018 NCAA Tournament, including eventual National Champion Stanford.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
At the event, fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara and staff honored this year's letterwinners and handed out a number of yearly awards.
"The End-of-the-Year Banquet is always a great event to recap the season," Sunahara said. "Our banquet is growing, and it's great to have family, friends and fans come out to share a special night with our team. We're on the climb, and I can't wait to see what next year has in store."
Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans was presented with the team's Offensive MVP Award. Evans played in all but one set for the Mountaineers this season, leading the team with 352 kills to average 3.17 per set to rank ninth in the Big 12 Conference. The Palmdale, California, native recorded double-digit kills in 20 matches, including seven of the last nine. Evans also tallied a pair of 20-plus kill performances on the year, posting a season-high 21 kills on 49 attempts in the 3-1 loss at Texas Tech on Sept. 22.
A year after earning the team's Newcomer Award, sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting received this year's Defensive MVP honor. After splitting time at libero with classmate Lindsay Proctor, Hasting's earned herself a spot in the starting lineup midway through the season. The Plain City, Ohio, native amassed a total of 359 digs to average 3.21 per set. She recorded double-digit digs in 19 matches, notching a career-high 28 digs in the five-set loss at TCU on Oct. 18. Additionally, Hasting was named to the 2018 Academic All-Big 12 First Team for the first time in her career, as she landed on the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team a year ago.
Juniors Erin Slinde and Gabrielle Cuckovich both received this year's Captain Award. Slinde dished out 179 assists on the year to average 5.42 per set. Off the court, the broadcast journalism major earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors for the second consecutive season. Additionally, the Rosemount, Minnesota, native was named this year's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) co-president. Cuckovich, who is majoring in marketing and interning with WVU's Athletic Marketing Office, also was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team list for the second year in a row. The Rochester Hills, Michigan, native finished the season with 144 digs, averaging 1.71 per set.
Freshman setter Lacey Zerwas 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 Phoenix native led the Mountaineers with 881 assists, averaging 9.18 per set. Off the court, Zerwas is majoring in university studies.
As a team, the Mountaineers claimed 11 victories on the season. Of note, WVU faced four teams which made the 2018 NCAA Tournament, including eventual National Champion Stanford.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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