CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Mid-American Conference announced its 2015 volleyball postseason award winners on Thursday, with Western Michigan freshman libero Hailey Knecht earning MAC Freshman of the Year honors, the fifth straight season in which a Bronco has won the award. Additionally, sophomore middle blocker Sydney LeMay was honored as a First Team All-MAC selection for the second straight year and freshman outside hitter Bailey Schnell was named to the All-Freshman team.
"We're very proud of the things that Sydney, Bailey and Hailey have been able to accomplish with their teammates to this point in the season," said head coach Colleen Munson. "These honors are well-deserved."
Knecht is the fifth straight Bronco freshman to earn the league's top rookie honors, a streak that dates back to 2011 honoree Terin Norris. Included in that list is teammate LeMay, who was MAC Freshman of the Year in 2014. She ranks 18th in Division I and first among all freshmen nationally with an average of 5.17 digs per set. Knecht's total of 631 digs entering this weekend ranks sixth for a single-season at WMU and makes her one of just three players in program history to top 600 digs in a season.
LeMay earned First Team All-MAC honors after serving as the top offensive option for the Broncos in 2015. She leads the team with a 2.83 kills per set average and a .278 hitting percentage, numbers that jump to 3.08 kills per set and a .302 hitting percentage against MAC competition. LeMay ranks eighth among all MAC players in kills and is fifth in the league with an average of 0.97 blocks per set in conference play.
Schnell earned MAC All-Freshman team honors by improving as the year went on, gradually becoming a key part of the Bronco attack. She averaged 2.34 kills per set in conference play, second-best on the team behind LeMay, but recorded 2.82 kills and 1.42 digs per set averages in the last eight matches of the season. Schnell has been at her best in the last two weekends of conference play, recording two Kill-Dig double-doubles.
