PROVIDENCE, R.I. – UCF’s DeLaina Sarden was voted the 2014 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year by the conference’s head coaches, capping off a regular season in which the Knights won The American’s championship and automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship.
Sarden recorded a .510 hitting percentage in conference matches, leading The American by 80 points. The UCF senior averaged 2.78 kills per set in conference matches and was fourth in blocks per set at 1.11.
UCF’s Todd Dagenais was named Coach of the Year after leading the Knights to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2003. The Knights are 25-7 entering the NCAA tournament and went 18-2 in conference play. UCF ranks in the top 10 in the nation in hitting percentage, kills/set and assists/set in overall matches.
A pair of Temple players took home annual awards, with junior Sandra Sydlik being named Setter of the Year and Dara Peric earning Freshman of the Year accolades. Sydlik quarterbacked an offense that went 24-8 and 15-5 in conference matches, averaging 11.36 assists per set against teams in The American. Peric elevated her play in the conference portion of the Owls’ 2014 slate, averaging 3.54 digs per set and 2.85 kills per set.
SMU sophomore Morgan Heise was tabbed as Libero of the Year, anchoring a Mustang defense that tallied a top-25 win and a school-record 26 victories in all in 2014. Heise had a conference-best 5.44 digs per set in American matches, and won 10 of 11 to close out conference play.
Sarden, Sydlik and Heise comprise three members of a 12-player first team all-conference squad that includes four players from UCF, three from SMU and one player each from five other teams.
Sarden is joined by three UCF teammates – sophomore Kia Bright, senior Kaye-Alese Green and sophomore Jale Hervey. Bright tallied 2.99 kills per set, 2.82 digs per set and 3.48 points per set in conference play for the Knights. Green was second to Sarden in hitting percentage in conference matches at .430 and recorded 2.35 points per set. Hervey led a balanced Knights attack with 3.70 points per set and 3.35 kills per set in her first year in Orlando.
Houston senior Kadi Kullerkann joined Sarden as a unanimous first-team selection after leading The American with 4.99 kills per set and 5.37 points per set in conference matches. For the year, Kullerkann ranks in the top-10 nationally in both kills and points.
Memphis senior Lauren Wright garnered a first-team selection after tallying 2.83 kills per set and a .321 hitting percentage in conference matches. The Tigers won 23 matches and went 13-7 in conference play, nearly doubling their conference win total from a year ago.
USF junior Erin Fairs is a first-team selection in 2014 after being named the Preseason Player of the Year back in August. Fairs was the only player in the top-10 in The American in both kills and digs, ranking third in kills per set (3.91) and 10
th in digs per set (4.09).
Heise is joined by a pair of fellow mustangs in junior Avery Acker and senior Caroline Young. Acker had a conference-best 11.71 assists per set in American matches while ranking in the top-10 nationally in assists for the overall season. Young recorded 2.93 kills per set, 3.60 points per set and 2.20 digs per set in conference play.
Tulsa sophomore Erica Bohannon earned a first-team selection after ranking second in the conference in kills and points. Bohannon recorded 4.19 kills per set and 4.83 points per set in conference play for a Golden Hurricane team that won 22 matches under first-year head coach Ryan Wills.
The second team is comprised of four Temple players and one each from Cincinnati, Memphis, SMU and Tulsa.
Cincinnati junior Emma Roberson was named to the team after recording 3.22 kills per set in conference play for a Bearcat squad that improved by 12 wins overall from a year ago. Memphis senior Aleksandra Petronijevic was second in The American with 5.41 digs per set. SMU sophomore Janelle Giordano led The American with 1.46 blocks per set in conference play while hitting .271. Tulsa senior Valerie El Houssine averaged 0.48 aces per set in conference matches and is in the top-10 nationally in service aces.
The four Owls on the second team include the Freshman of the Year Peric, sophomores Tyler Davis and Kirsten Overton and senior Jennifer Iacobini. Davis led the Owls with 3.35 kills per set and 3.68 points per set, Overton ranked in the top-25 nationally in overall hitting percentage while hitting .362 in conference play, and Iacobini averaged 1.05 blocks per set and 2.96 points per set.
Player of the Year
DeLaina Sarden, Sr., MB, UCF
Coach of the Year
Todd Dagenais, UCF
Freshman of the Year
Dara Peric, Fr., OH, Temple
Libero of the Year
Morgan Heise, So., L, SMU
Setter of the Year
Sandra Sydlik, Jr., S, Temple
First-Team All-Conference
Kia Bright, So., OH, UCF
Kaye-Alese Green, Sr., MB, UCF
Jale Hervey, So., OH, UCF
DeLaina Sarden, Sr., MB, UCF*
Kadi Kullerkann, Sr., OH/RS, Houston *
Lauren Wright, Sr., MB/RS, Memphis
Erin Fairs, Jr., OH, USF
Avery Acker, Jr., S, SMU
Morgan Heise, So., L, SMU
Caroline Young, Sr., OPP, SMU
Sandra Sydlik, Jr., S, Temple
Erica Bohannon, So., OH, Tulsa
* - Unanimous selection
Second-Team All-Conference
Emma Roberson, Jr., RS, Cincinnati
Aleksandra Petronijevic, Sr., L, Memphis
Janelle Giordano, So., MB, SMU
Tyler Davis, So., OH, Temple
Jennifer Iacobini, Sr., MB, Temple
Kirsten Overton, So., MB, Temple
Dara Peric, Fr., OH, Temple
Valerie El Houssine, Sr., OH, Tulsa