DALLAS – Conference USA announced its Volleyball All-Conference and Superlative Awards Thursday ahead of the 2023 CUSA Volleyball Championships. Regular season champions, No. 22 WKU earned three superlatives while MTSU, New Mexico State and Liberty each had one individual award in a vote of the league’s nine head coaches. WKU’s Paige Briggs was crowned the CUSA Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year.
 
CUSA renamed its’ Player of the Year Award 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 CUSA 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).
 
Briggs, a fifth-year outside hitter, ranks first in CUSA in kills per set (3.89), service aces (53) and points per set (4.73). The Michigan native owns the WKU program record with 35 kills in a single match against Western Michigan and is the second most kills in a four-set match in NCAA Volleyball. Briggs tallied eight double-doubles on the season while hitting .400 in six matches. She was a three-time Offensive Player of the Week this season.
 
Fellow Hilltopper teammate Logan Grevengoed was named CUSA Freshman of the Year. The redshirt freshman middle hitter ranked fourth in the league in total blocks (108) and blocks per set (1.09). Grevengoed played in 99 sets and picked up 164 kills with a .227 hitting clip from the middle averaging 1.66 kills per set. She earned CUSA Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors this season.
 
MTSU’s Taylor Eisert tabbed Setter of the Year honors. The senior from Louisville led CUSA and ranked sixth nationally in assists per set (11.20). Eisert became the fourth Blue Raider all-time to reach the 3,000 mark in assists and was awarded six Setter of the Week honors.
 
Liberty middle blocker Madison Blane was voted as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Blane was a three-time CUSA Defensive Player of the Week and led the league and ranked 25^th nationally in blocks per set (1.30). The junior from Montgomery, Texas totaled five or more blocks in 15 matches this season including a season-high eight blocks four times.
 
New Mexico State senior Darian Markham captured the CUSA Libero of the Year honors. Markham led CUSA during league play with 260 total digs averaging 4.48 per set. She was one of three Aggies to play in 105 sets this season and led the team in reception percentage (.932) with a minimum of 50 attempts.
 
WKU’s Travis Hudson was selected as the Conference USA Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career (2015, 2016, 2019,2021, 2022 and 2023). The No. 22-ranked Hilltoppers have a 26-4 overall record and posted a 16-0 conference record as WKU captured the CUSA Regular Season Title. WKU has a current 21-match overall winning streak and a 74-match winning streak in Conference USA play dating back to the 2018 season.

Briggs, Eisert and Blane were a part of the First Team All-Conference USA team. Joining them was Yasso Amin (FIU), Jade Sadeiko (FIU), Kayla Henley (MTSU), Adri Rhoda (MTSU), Ryleigh Whitekettle (NM State), Kaya Weaver (UTEP), Callie Bauer (WKU) and Kaylee Cox (WKU).
 
2023 CUSA Volleyball All-Conference Winners
 
Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year 
Paige Briggs, WKU  
 
Setter of the Year 
Taylor Eisert, MTSU
 
Defensive Player of the Year  
Madison Blane, Liberty
 
Libero of the Year
Darian Markham, NM State
 
Freshman of the Year  
Logan Grevengoed, WKU
 
Coach of the Year  
Travis Hudson, WKU  
 
All-Conference USA First Team
Yasso Amin, FIU
Jade Sadeiko, FIU
Madison Blane, Liberty
Taylor Eisert, MTSU
Kayla Henley, MTSU
Adri Rhoda, MTSU
Ryleigh Whitekettle, NM State
Kaya Weaver, UTEP
Callie Bauer, WKU
Paige Briggs, WKU
Kaylee Cox, WKU
 
All-Conference USA Second Team
Kamryn Bacus, Liberty
Delaney Dilfer, Liberty
Kate Phillips, Liberty
Laure Jansen, MTSU
Kaylee Oscarson, MTSU
Kacia Brown, NM State
Darian Markham, NM State
Mari Sharp, NM State
Alianza Darley, UTEP
Danika Washington, UTEP
Kenadee Coyle, WKU
 
CUSA All-Freshman Team 
Gianna Tagoa’I, FIU
Grace Krohn, LA Tech
Maggie Lightheart, NM State
Payton Woods, Sam Houston
Kalia Kohler, UTEP
Logan Grevengoed, WKU
Izzy Van De Wiele, WKU
Gabby Weihe, WKU