PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Little East Conference (LEC) announced its women’s volleyball major award recipients and all-conference teams for the 2024 season Tuesday morning, following a vote of the league’s head coaches. LEC regular season champion Plymouth State University and LEC tournament champion University of Massachusetts Dartmouth split the LEC four major awards.
Plymouth State graduate middle hitter Nora Ryan repeated as the LEC Offensive Player of the Year after once again leading the Panthers in kills (288), blocks (80), total points (367) and hitting percentage (.367), and finishing second in service aces (37). She led the LEC in blocks and hitting percentage, and ranked fourth in kills and total points.
Coaching Staff of the Year was awarded the Panthers, led by head coach Joan Forge and assistant coaches Bill Beaudet, Kathryn Labrie and Tucker McIlwrath. This marks the first year the award is being presented as Coaching Staff of the Year; Forge was named the LEC Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021.
UMass Dartmouth junior defensive specialist Emily Pogorelec was named the 2024 LEC Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in both digs (536) and digs per set (5.58). She earned the honor for the third time in as many seasons, making her just the third three-time LEC Defensive Player of the Year winner in league history.
Corsairs’ freshman right side hitter Olivia Seutter was named the 2024 LEC Rookie of the Year after leading UMass Dartmouth in hitting percentage (.301), finishing second on the team in kills (347) and total points (378.5), and ranking third in blocks (54). She ranks second in the LEC in kills and hitting percentage, and is third in total points. Seutter is the third player in UMass Dartmouth history to be named the LEC Rookie of the Year, the most recent being Pogorelec.
The complete list of LEC award winners is below.
| Offensive Player of the Year |
Nora Ryan |
Plymouth State |
| Defensive Player of the Year |
Emily Pogorelec |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Rookie of the Year |
|
Olivia Seutter |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Coaching Staff of the Year |
|
|
Plymouth State |
|
|
|
|
| First Team All-LEC |
|
|
|
| Emma Robinson |
Fr. |
Pin |
Eastern Connecticut |
| Mya Perron |
So. |
Outside Hitter |
UMass Boston |
| Emily Pogorelec |
Jr. |
Defensive Specialist |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Olivia Seutter |
Fr. |
Outside Hitter |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Kate Wade |
Sr. |
Outside Hitter |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Makayla Marucci |
Sr. |
Defensive Specialist |
Plymouth State |
| Nora Ryan |
Gr. |
Middle Hitter |
Plymouth State |
|
|
|
|
| Second Team All-LEC |
|
|
|
| Bella Johnson |
Sr. |
Pin |
Eastern Connecticut |
| Alexis Small |
So. |
Setter |
Keene State |
| Molly Wetherbee |
Sr. |
Middle Blocker |
Keene State |
| Dylan Wertzberger |
Sr. |
Outside Hitter |
UMass Boston |
| Emma Hampton |
So. |
Outside Hitter |
Plymouth State |
| Aynslee King |
Gr. |
Middle Hitter |
Plymouth State |
| Sarina Marines |
So. |
Outside Hitter |
Rhode Island College |
| Helen Megson |
Sr. |
Outside Hitter |
Western Connecticut |
| Olivia Monteleone |
Gr. |
Setter |
Western Connecticut |
|
|
|
|
| Sportsmanship Team |
|
|
|
| Sadie Blackwell |
Jr. |
Defensive Specialist |
Eastern Connecticut |
| Stephanie Olah |
Sr. |
Right Side Hitter |
Keene State |
| Paige Coulson |
So. |
Outside Hitter |
UMass Boston |
| Monika Kristjansdottir |
Sr. |
Middle Blocker |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Aynslee King |
Gr. |
Middle Hitter |
Plymouth State |
| Caroline Morrell |
Fr. |
Defensive Specialist |
Rhode Island College |
| Madison Zimmer |
Sr. |
Middle Blocker |
Southern Maine |
| Isabella Luna |
So. |
Defensive Specialist |
VTSU Castleton |
| Ashlyn Zematis |
Sr. |
Right Side Hitter |
Western Connecticut |