Five Tigers and Coaching Staff Earn All-NCAC Women's Volleyball Awards
CLEVELAND, OH - Five Wittenberg Women's Volleyball players earned postseason honors from the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), in addition to a special award for the Tiger coaching staff.
Sophomore setter Mary Sulfridge (South Charleston, OH / Southeastern) earned NCAC Player of the Year and Setter of the Year honors to go along with her first-team selection. Junior Kait Colahan (Vermilion, OH / Vermilion) and senior Kaili Worcester (Powell, OH / Olentangy Liberty) were also named to the first-team. For the second year in a row, sophomore Clare O'Malley (Avon, OH / St. Joseph's Academy) was named to the second-team after also being awarded Newcomer of the Year in 2024. Rounding out the all-conference selections, senior Ally White (Harrison, OH / Harrison) was named to the third-team to claim all-conference honors for the second consecutive year.
Sulfridge earned All-NCAC recognition for the first time in her collegiate career after playing 27 matches, covering 98 sets. She totaled 907 assists to not only lead the team, but the NCAC as well. She was also able to log 62 kills and 24 service aces while recording 216 digs to rank fourth on the team. Sulfridge, Wittenberg's 21st NCAC Player of the Year award-winner, also notched 46 total blocks and ended with 112 points. She’s the first Tiger to win Setter of the Year after the award was first introduced in 2024.
Colahan put up stellar numbers as well, leading the conference in hitting percentage with a mark of .340 over 67 sets in 23 matches. She also finished 15th in the conference and third on the team in kills with 203, and she was second in the conference in kills per set with 3.03. Worcester rounded out the three Tigers on the first team as she played 93 sets in 25 matches. She put up 271 kills to lead the team and place fourth in the conference. She also placed third on the team with 35 service aces, while notching 25 assists, 230 digs, and 32 total blocks.
O'Malley played in 27 matches and 99 sets and finished second on the team in kills with 206 while adding 70 total blocks to lead the team and finishing second on the team with 261 points. White also played in 27 matches and 99 sets, and she led the team in digs with 479, good for fourth in the conference and third in the conference in digs per set. She also added 37 service aces for second on the team and tied for eighth in the conference.
Along with the five athletes, head coach Evelyn Miller and assistants Tom Supan, Taylor Campbell, Sam Richardson, and Pat Carus were recognized as the Bridget Sheehan Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the Tigers to an undefeated conference record and the NCAC Tournament championship. It was the third Coach/Staff of the Year award for Miller. She also was recognized in 2018 and 2022.
The Tigers finished the regular season with records of 20-7 overall and 7-0 in the NCAC to win the regular season title without dropping a single set. As the No. 1 seed in the NCAC Tournament, the Tigers swept Denison in the semifinals before sweeping the second-seeded Blue Streaks of John Carroll to earn the tournament crown and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament.
Written By: Grant Martin
Graphic By: Olivia Witman