JONESBORO, Ark. (11/20/24) – After winning its first Sun Belt Conference regular-season title since 2016, the Arkansas State volleyball team fittingly hauled in a plethora of postseason Sun Belt Conference honors Wednesday.
Head Coach Brian Gerwig (Coach of the Year), Daedrianna Cail (Newcomer of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year) and Sarah Martinez (Libero of the Year) led the way in the postseason awards.
Cail and Martinez earned First Team All-SBC laurels, while Kaitlin Whitlock received second-team distinction. Wednesday's announcement marks the first time A-State had three or more all-conference picks since 2017.
Gerwig became A-State's first conference Coach of the Year since David Rehr in 2016. He guided the Scarlet and Black to the league crown after the Red Wolves were picked sixth in the West Division. Under his watch, A-State won its most regular-season matches (24) since 2015, as well as a 14-2 conference ledger – the best since 2016.
One of the most feared middle blockers in the conference, Cail is the program's first SBC Newcomer of the Year since 1997 (Tera Hayman) and first Defensive Player of the Year since 2016 (Markie Schaedig). The Marion, Ark., native leads the league in solo blocks (25) and ranks third in total blocks (130). In league play, Cail led all blockers with 88 blocks and 19 solos.
A three-time SBC Defensive Player of the Week honoree, Martinez is A-State's first SBC Libero of the Year since 2021 (Tatum Ticknor). She anchors A-State's league-best defense with 512 total digs, ranking second in the conference. In conference matches, the Flower Mound, Texas, native was second in digs (317), averaging 4.88 per set. Behind the service line, Martinez was second on the squad with 29 aces, including 15 in conference play.
Whitlock secured a second-team all-league nod after totaling a team-high 344 kills – sixth most in the conference – with 18 matches of 10 kills or more. The San Antonio, Texas, native also corralled 351 digs (3.22/set) and tallied 21 double-digit dig outputs as part of 14 double-doubles. She also served 27 aces and totaled 48 blocks.
NEXT UP
Top-seeded Arkansas State opens Sun Belt Conference Tournament play on Friday against either West No. 5 seed Southern Miss or East No. 4 seed Coastal Carolina. First serve in the quarterfinal match is slated for 4:30 p.m. in Foley, Ala., and the match will be carried on ESPN+.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State Red Wolves Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.
2024 SUN BELT VOLLEYBALL AWARDS
Player of the Year: Tori Hester, Troy
Offensive Player of the Year: Tori Hester, Troy
Defensive Player of the Year: Daedrianna Cail, Arkansas State
Libero of the Year: Sarah Martinez, Arkansas State
Setter of the Year: Ryann Torres, Texas State
Newcomer of the Year: Daedrianna Cail, Arkansas State
Freshman of the Year: Elise Marchal, App State
Coach of the Year: Brian Gerwig, Arkansas State
First-Team All-Sun Belt
Maya Winterhoff, App State
Daedrianna Cail, Arkansas State
Sarah Martinez, Arkansas State
Jalyn Stout, Coastal Carolina
Reagan Barth, Georgia Southern
Brenya Reid, James Madison
Abryanna Cannon, South Alabama
Anna Loberg, South Alabama
Jade Defraeye, Texas State
Ryann Torres, Texas State
Samanatha Wunsch, Texas State
Tori Hester, Troy
Second-Team All-Sun Belt
Addison Heidemann, App State
Ava Leahy, App State
Elise Marchal, App State
Kaitlin Whitlock, Arkansas State
Ashlyn Lovett, Georgia Southern
Kirsten Barrett, Georgia Southern
Annie Smith, James Madison
Cami Hicks, Louisiana
Mio Yamamoto, Louisiana
Myah Conway, Old Dominion
Sarah Gooch, South Alabama
Sunni Sheppard, Southern Miss
