FOLEY, Ala. – Troy senior outside hitter Tori Hester was recognized as both the Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year to highlight the 2024 Sun Belt Volleyball Awards and All-Conference Teams, announced on Wednesday. The honors were voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches. 
 
Arkansas State claimed its tenth Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship in 2024, finishing league play with a 14-2 mark and a 24-4 record overall. The Red Wolves went 10-2 against divisional opponents to earn the top seed in the West Division. 
 
Offensive and Player – Troy senior outside hitter Tori Hester was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year as well as the Offensive Player of the Year. Over the course of the season, she recorded 508 kills and 577.5 points. She led the Sun Belt in kills (508), points (577.5), kills per set (5.08), points per set (5.78) and service aces (40). Entering the final weekend of the regular season, she was top five nationally in kills, points, kills per set and points per set. Hester was the only player in the SBC with more than 400 kills and more than 5.00 kills per set. Her 5.08 kills per set is 0.80 clear of her previous season best. The senior outside hitter recorded double-figure kills in every single match this season, and has recorded at least 10 kills in the last 48 matches dating back to last season, which is the longest known active streak in Division I women’s volleyball. Hester has recorded 20 or more kills in 11 matches this season, and 30 or more kills in four matches. Within conference play, she totaled 349 kills (5.37 k/s), leading the next closest player by 59 kills. Her 5.37 k/s was 0.45 clear of second place. She also had 389.0 points, which was 70 points clear of anyone else. There were five instances of a Sun Belt player recording 30 or more kills in a conference match this season, and Hester had four of those. Hester became Troy’s all-time leader in kills, kills per set and points this season. She had 11 double-doubles (kills-digs). In her 33-kill showing against Southern Miss she had a season-high 22 digs as well. She also recorded a career-high 45 blocks this season (14 solo, 31 assists).
 
Arkansas State’s Daedrianna Cail was named both the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year as well as Newcomer of the Year. The junior transfer led the league with 25 solo blocks and was third in block assists (105). Cail finished third in the conference in total blocks (130) and fourth in blocks per set (1.23). In SBC play, she led all blockers with 88 total blocks and 19 solos, averaging 1.35 blocks per set. She ranks third in the conference in hitting percentage (.356) and tallied 217 kills (2.05/set) with seven matches of 10-plus kills. Over the season, she totaled five or more blocks 13 times, including a pair of matches surpassing 10 blocks and a season-high of 11 against Troy. Cail accounted for 300.5 points - second most on the squad (2.83/set) and had 10-plus kills in seven matches with a season high of 17.
 
Arkansas State’s Sarah Martinez was voted as the Sun Belt Libero of the Year. The two-time SBC Defensive Player of the Week anchored Arkansas State’s league-best defense that held opponents to a hitting percentage of .138 in conference play and .140 overall, the latter ranking among the top 10 nationally. Martinez was rated as the No. 1 libero in the league using the AVCA’s Production Analysis Algorithm. Overall, she ranks second in the conference in total digs (512), averaging 4.70 per set. In SBC matches, was second in digs (317) and averaged 4.88 digs/set. Martinez had 25 double-digit dig performances, including 13 with 20 or more and a season-best of 30 on 11/15 at Old Dominion.
 
Texas State setter Ryann Torres was voted the Sun Belt Setter of the Year after averaging 10.87 assists per set through league play. Her setting was a large part of the Bobcats 13-3 run in SBC play this season and the team attack percentage of .240, which was one of the best in the Sun Belt. Torres was one of just two Sun Belt setters to eclipse 590 assists this season, as she accomplished the feat in 55 sets of work. Torres boasts four of the league’s top 5 performances in a three set match this season with 43 assists (11/1 vs USM), 43 assists (11/9 vs Coastal), 41 assists (10/18 vs Ark State) and 40 assists (10/26 vs ULM). She tallied five double doubles in conference play including: 37 assists/20 digs at South Alabama, 41 assists/11 digs at ULM, 43 assists/11 digs vs Southern Miss, 43 assists/14 digs at Coastal Carolina, and 44 assists/11 digs vs James Madison. Torres aided defensively by averaging 2.62 digs per set. She tallied a season-best 54 assists in the Bobcats match at Louisiana where she helped the team to an attack percentage of .249. Texas State led the conference in assists per set with 13.40 as Torres was named Sun Belt setter of the week three times this season.
 
App State right side Elise Marchal was voted as the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year after aiding the Mountaineers to a 17-8 season record, 11-3 Sun Belt record and 10-2 East Division Record. Her efforts on the court helped the Mountaineers to the top seed in the East Division for the first time since 2018. Marchal led the team in aces with 32 on the season, was second on the team in digs with 262, and was third on the team in kills (221 total, averaging 2.21 kills per set) and blocks (68 total, two solo, 66 assists). She tallied eight double-doubles this fall and recorded a career-high 15 kills against Troy on Nov. 14 and a career high 19 digs against Georgia Southern on Oct. 18. Marchal recorded double-figure kills in 10 matches and recorded double-figure digs in 16 matches. The Kings Mill, Ohio native rounded out the league’s top-10 in aces and during league play she ranked fourth in the league in aces (23).
 
Arkansas State head coach Brian Gerwig led the Red Wolves to the Sun Belt Regular Season Championship and was voted by his peers as the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year. Gerwig led Arkansas State to its first conference regular-season title since 2016 and the program’s first No. 1 seed in the West Division since 2016. He guided the Red Wolves to 24 overall wins, their most regular-season victories since 2015, as well as a 14-2 mark in SBC play, the program’s best since 2016. A-State ended the regular season on a nine-match winning streak, the program’s longest since 2016. Under his watch, the Red Wolves fielded the league’s best defense, leading in opposing hitting percentage (.140 / .138 in SBC play), opponent assists/set (10.31 / 10.55) and opponent kills/set (10.99 / 11.22) and ranking second in digs (1,773 / 1106) and total blocks (254 / 170). On offense, the Red Wolves ranked fourth or better in assists (1st-1355), kills (1st-1459), assists/set (3rd-12.43), kills/set (3rd-13.39)points/set (3rd-17.17) and hitting percentage (4th-.230). With his leadership, Gerwig guided an Arkansas State team from 9 wins in 2022 to 16 in 2023 before turning in 24 wins through 2024.
 
The 2024 Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament will take place Thursday through Sunday at the Foley Events Center in Foley, Ala. Tickets may be purchased online in advance here. 
 
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
Samantha 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