QC COLLEGE HONORS: Local haul in volleyball, wrestling awards
St. Ambrose University's Alexa Orozco was named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year as she was one of four Fighting Bees to earn All-CCAC honors for the recently completed season.
Those three first-teamers were topped by former Orion High School standout Mackenzie Grafton and also included Kenia Diaz Vega. Grace Beitzel earned second-team All-CCAC accolades.
Those four standouts helped the Fighting Bees to a 16-16 season that included a semifinal appearance in the CCAC Tournament.
Grafton, a graduate student, posted 424 kills, 51 service aces, and 337 digs this season. The former CCAC Player of the Year is a two-time First-Team All-CCAC selection. The attacker led SAU with her kill count, having 149 more kills than anyone else on the squad. Grafton also led SAU With her 51 service aces.
Her 424 kills lead the conference, which has three teams still alive in tournament play.
Orozco (Fr., Puerto Rico) was a standout for the Bees as she put down 208 kills over 32 matches in earning her league honor.
Her all-around play shows in her 249 digs and 21 assists for the Bees. Orozco rallied for a season-high 19 kills when SAU hosted No. 17 Viterbo on Sep. 13. She is the first Bee to earn the award since the program joined the conference prior to the 2015 season.
Diaz Vega, a defensive specialist, logged a CCAC-leading 601 digs in pacing a formidable SAU defense. The graduate transfer also from Puerto Rico found herself as the CCAC Libero of the Year and a first-team all-conference player last fall. Diaz Vega appeared in all 32 matches for St. Ambrose.
Both Diaz Vega and Grafton played in all 117 sets this season for SAU, the only two Bees to accomplish that feat.
Beitzel (Jr., OH, Geneva, Ill.) put down 275 kills this season throughout 106 sets. This year was a breakout season for her as she was involved with 284.5 SAU points. After 732 total attempts, Beitzel registered a .250 hitting percentage (third on the team).
Augie standout honored
For the second year in a row, Augustana College women's volleyball standout Emily Schipper was named to the All-CCIW second team.
Schipper, a fifth-year performer from Fulton, Ill., led the 10-20 Vikings in kills (418) and kills per set (3.67) in 29 matches this season. In all matches played, Schipper ranked fifth in the CCIW in kills per set and was third in total kills. In conference contests only, she was sixth in kills per set and third in total kills. Additionally, she posted the seventh-highest kill total in the league this season with 21 against Carroll, which also proved to be the second-highest in a four-set match.
Defensively, she was second on the Vikings in digs with 295 and ended with a 2.59 average per set. Her 45 total blocks and 24 service aces were third and fourth most on the team.
This season, Schipper became the all-time leader in program history in kills and is the sixth player in program history to surpass both 1,000 career kills and digs.
Additionally, Ashley Awbrey (Sr., Orion HS) was named Augie's recipient of the CCIW's RESPECT Award.
Hoskins named ARC DPOY
Sara Hoskins of Loras College was named the American Rivers Conference volleyball Defensive Player of the Year.
The Pleasant Valley High School product totaled 128 digs, 379 assists, 26 kills and 22 blocks in conference play during her senior campaign, becoming the first Loras player to earn a major league award since 2015. She was also a first-team selection as a junior.
Hoskins has been a standout multi-sport athlete at Loras, winning the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Nationals high jump title. She was also a first-team Academic All-American.
Central College junior libero Colleen Kenney (Taylor Ridge, Alleman HS) and Dubuque graduate student outside hitter Emma Powell (Eldridge, North Scott HS) were named to the all-conference team. Kenney finished with 156 digs and 26 aces in conference matches. Powell totaled 141 digs and 98 kills in league play.
Nebraska Wesleyan hitter Molly Ramirez (Jr., Pleasant Valley HS) earned honorable mention honors. Ramirez had 79 kills and 54 blocks in ARC matches.
Augie's Miller earns wrestling honor
Jack Miller, a former Pleasant Valley High School standout now wrestling at Augustana College, was named CCIW Men's Wrestler of the Week.
The 174-pound sophomore earned the nod after his performances in a dual meet against No. 6 North Central and at the Albion Invitational as he worked his way to a 5-2 record with five pins during the week.
In the dual against North Central, Miller secured the lone win and six team points with a pin. At the Albion Invitational on Sunday, the sophomore notched four pins against Case Western Reserve, Siena Heights, Mott, and Olivet and faced a returning national qualifier from John Carroll.
sports writer/golf editor
