DALLAS - Conference USA announced its Volleyball All-Conference and Superlative Awards Thursday ahead of the 2022 C-USA Volleyball Championships. No. 20 WKU earned three superlatives, No.22 Rice earned two, while North Texas had one individual award in a vote of the league’s 11 head coaches. WKU’s Lauren Matthews was crowned the C-USA Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year for the third time in her career.

A total of eight Conference USA programs collected at least one all-conference selection, with seven earning at least two or more. WKU led all C-USA programs with six selections, while Rice was second with five honors.

Matthews, a fifth-year middle hitter, won the Player of the Year for the third time in five seasons (2019, 2021, 2022). She ranks second in C-USA in kills (389), kills per set (4.14) and was third in hitting percentage with .400. She holds a conference-best of 30 kills in a single match against No. 22 Rice on November 10.  Matthews was a two-time C-USA Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week this season.

C-USA renamed its’ Player of the Year Award over the summer in honor of late WKU star Alyssa Cavanaugh, a four-time All-American outside hitter for the Hilltoppers, who passed away in December 2020 after a battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cavanaugh was a two-time C-USA Player of the Year, a four-time AVCA All-American and the conference’s 2017-18 Michael L. Slive Female Athlete of the Year during her career at WKU (2014-17).

Rice senior Carly Graham earned the C-USA Setter of the Year honors, for the third consecutive season, joining Jessica Lucas from WKU (2015-2017) to accomplish this feat. Graham was second in C-USA in assists per set with 10.23. She had at least 30 assists in a match 18 times this season, recording 55 assists against Charlotte on October 16. Graham was a five-time C-USA Setter of the Week selection.

North Texas junior middle blocker Sh’Diamond Holly was tabbed as the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year. She led the conference in block assists (60) and blocks per set (1.43). She recorded a high of eight blocks against Charlotte on November 12. She was the league’s Defensive Player of the Week on October 10.

Rice junior Nia McCardell captured the C-USA Libero of the Year honors. McCardell led C-USA in digs per set with 4.84. In conference play, she had three matches with 20 or more digs, recording 29 vs. UTEP on October 8. She was a four-time Defensive Player of the Week honoree, earning three in consecutive weeks becoming the third player in league history to win a third consecutive C-USA Defensive Player of the Week award, joining Charlotte’s Amani McArthur (2020-21) and WKU’s Sydney Engle (2017).

WKU setter Callie Bauer was voted as the league’s Freshman of the Year. She led C-USA and ranks 16^th in the nation in assists per set with 10.99. She’s second in conference-match best assists with 40 in three sets. She is a three-time C-USA Setter of the Week selection.

WKU’s Travis Hudson was selected as the Conference USA Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career (2015, 2016, 2019,2021 and 2022). The No. 20-ranked Hilltoppers have a 26-2 overall record and posted a 14-0 conference record as WKU captured the C-USA Regular Season Title. WKU has a current 15-match overall winning streak.
Matthews, Graham, Holly, McCardell and Bauer were a part of the First Team All-Conference USA team. Joining them was Emani’ Foster (Charlotte), Amani McArthur (Charlotte), Treyaunna Rush (North Texas), Anota Adekunle (Rice), Fernanda Maida (UAB) and Paige Briggs (WKU).

2022 C-USA Volleyball All-Conference Winners
 
Player of the Year
Lauren Matthews, WKU
 
Setter of the Year
Carly Graham, Rice
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Sh’Diamond Holly, North Texas
 
Libero of the Year
Nia McCardell, Rice
 
Freshman of the Year
Callie Bauer, WKU
 
Coach of the Year
Travis Hudson, WKU
 
All-Conference USA First Team
OH: Emani’ Foster, Charlotte
MB: Amani McArthur, Charlotte
MB: Sh’Diamond Holly, North Texas
OPP: Treyaunna Rush, North Texas
MB: Anota Andekunle, Rice
S: Carly Graham, Rice
L: Nia McCardell, Rice
OH/OPP: Fernanda Maida, UAB
S: Callie Bauer, WKU
OH: Paige Briggs, WKU
MB: Lauren Matthews, WKU
 
All-Conference USA Second Team
OPP: Kayla Henley, Middle Tennessee
OH: Adri Rhoda, Middle Tennessee
OH: Aryn Johnson, North Texas
OH: Ellie Bichelmeyer, Rice
OH/OPP: Danyle Courtley, Rice
OH: Alex Kells, UAB
OH: Maia Rackel, UAB
OH/MB: Alianza Darley, UTEP
OH: Torrance Lovesee, UTEP
OH: Serena Patterson, UTEP
MB: Katie Isenbarger, WKU
 
C-USA All-Freshman Team
OH: Adri Rhoda, Middle Tennessee
S: Mattie Gant, UTEP
OH/OPP: Sara Pustahija, UTEP
MB: Kaya Weaver, UTEP
DS: Ava Camacho, UTSA
S: Callie Bauer, WKU
DS: Abby Schaefer, WKU