CLEVELAND, Ohio (Nov. 18) – Highlighted by recognition as Coaching Staff of the Year, the Denison University volleyball team received strong representation on the 2024 North Coast Athletic All-Conference Teams, which were announced by the organization on Monday.
Denison claimed the 2024 Bridget Sheehan Coaching Staff of the Year honors, the sixth NCAC coaching award in program history. The Big Red are led by Head Coach
Carter Cassell and Assistant Coaches
Jenna Corrao and
Lindsay Miracle. The Denison squad was guided to a near-perfect 6-1 mark in league play and the program's second NCAC championship title, which also earned the team hosting rights for the 2024 NCAC Tournament semifinals and final. In conference play, the Big Red produced the best hitting percentage in the league (.237), the most assists per set (13.23), kills per set (13.92) and points per set (17.15). Denison also topped the league in opponent service aces per set (1.38) and digs per set (15.27), while also ranking in the top-four in opponent hitting percentage (.149), assists per set (9.65) and kills per set (10.50).
A pair of Denison standouts, sophomore outside
Claire Hamilton and junior setter
Alice Kempf, earned First Team All-NCAC honors. Joining them with All-NCAC honors were
Ayla Dunbar on the Second Team and
Cailey Johns and
Maeve Perry on Third Team.
Hamilton, who was a Second Team honoree as a freshman, earns all-conference accolades for a second-straight season. Hamilton leads the conference with 3.67 kills per set and 356 total kills. Hamilton recorded double-digit kills 18 times and surpassed 20 kills on five occasions. She posted a career-high 29 kills in Denison's five-set win over DePauw in its conference opener on Sept. 28.
Kempf currently leads the NCAC by a considerable margin in assists per set (9.05). Kempf racked up 878 assists. She helped the Big Red lead the conference in points, kills and assists as a team. Kempf recorded two of the highest single-game assists totals this year in NCAA Division III. Kempf notched 65 assists in a five-set win over DePauw on Sept. 28. This was a week after tallying 64 assists in a five-set loss to John Carroll. This marks the second All-NCAC honor for Kempf, who secured Third Team honors as a sophomore.
Dunbar put together a breakthrough season as a sophomore to pick up her first All-NCAC honor. Dunbar ranked third in the NCAC with 2.76 kills per set. Her 33 service aces rank her in the top 12 in the conference and second best on the Big Red. Dunbar has chipped in 207 digs and 11 blocks to her stat totals. Dunbar registered a career-high 20 kills in a match versus Mount Union on Aug. 31.
Perry provided the Big Red with some punch out of her right-side position. The sophomore produced her best efforts of the season in conference wins over Ohio Wesleyan and Kenyon, wins that helped Denison secure the regular season title and top seed in the NCAC Tournament. Perry ranks 13th in the NCAC with 2.19 kills per set. This is Perry's first All-NCAC honor.
Johns picks up All-NCAC honors for a second-straight season. Johns leads all NCAC players with a .320 hitting percentage. Johns is also the team leader in total blocks (44) and has chipped in 187 kills, which ranks third on the Big Red. Johns produced her season best in kills with 15 against John Carroll on Sept. 21. Later that day, Johns matched her season best five total blocks in a win over Rose-Hulman.
