MILWAUKEE - Mount Mary sophomore Brianna Ecker (Fond du Lac, Wis./Stockbridge) was named to the 2021 All-Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Second Team, the league announced late last week.
Ecker led the Blue Angels in several statistical categories this season with a team-high 265 total kills and a 2.41 kills per set average, 46 service aces, and 328 total digs. Her 2.98 digs per set were second-best overall, and most among active players at the time of award submission. She also added 49 assists as a fill-in setter at MMU's weekend at the Warrior Invitational, and has nine total blocks.
This is the second straight Second Team honor for Ecker, who was also named to the American Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Second Team back in 2019.
The following are this year's full list of C2C honorees, as voted on by the league's head coaches:
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Claire Okerlund - UC Santa Cruz
A senior season fit for one of the best all-around players in school history, Claire Okerlund led the Banana Slugs in kills, and was second in aces and digs. It's the second Conference Player of the Year award for the outside hitter from Orange County, following her ACAA Player of the Year award in 2019.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Darian DiMatteo - Salisbury
Salisbury senior defensive specialist Darian DiMatteo was named C2C Defensive Player of the Year, the second straight Sea Gull to earn the title after Hailey Dougherty captured the award in 2019. DiMatteo leads the C2C in digs per set (4.64), ranking half a dig higher than her second-closest competitor, and ranks second in total digs (371). DiMatteo was named C2C Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 1 and has notched 20-plus digs in a game seven times, including a season-high 27 digs on Oct. 29 against Marymount (Va.).
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Samantha Taylor - UC Santa Cruz
The talented Samantha Taylor made quite a debut in her first season of college volleyball, finishing second on the squad with 2.85 kills per set and finishing with double-figure kills in nine matches this season. A well-rounded athlete whose best years are still ahead of her.
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Jenna Feinauer - Salisbury
Salisbury junior middle blocker Jenna Feinauer was named C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year after boasting a 3.94 GPA as an Environmental Science and Spanish double major. Feinauer, an honors college enrollee, currently leads the C2C in blocks per set (1.10) and ranks second in hitting percentage (.374). She has eclipsed 10 kills eight times this season, seven times doing so with either one or no errors against, and garnered a season-high eight blocks on Sept. 10 against Stockton.
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: UC Santa Cruz - Gabrielle Houston
In her third year as head coach, Santa Cruz native Gabby Houston led the Banana Slugs to a 18-2 record, their first-ever national and the second longest winning streak in school history. Houston, along with assistants Yelena Nash and Branden Torado, enabled a team with 12 first-years and a handful of experienced student-athletes to work in sync all season. After a year of working out on sand and grass, Houston helped perfectly blend a team and translated it to excellence on the hardwood.
2021 C2C Player of the Year: Claire Okerlund - UC Santa Cruz
2021 C2C Defensive Player of the Year: Darian DiMatteo - Salisbury
2021 C2C Rookie of the Year: Samantha Taylor - UC Santa Cruz
2021 C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Jenna Feinauer - Salisbury
2021 C2C Coaching Staff of the Year: UC Santa Cruz - Gabrielle Houston, Head Coach
2021 All-C2C Volleyball First Team
Sinead Beaupain, Jr., S, UC Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Calif.
Sammy Carroll, Jr., S, Christopher Newport, Gainesville, Va.
Maddie Carter, Sr., OH, Christopher Newport, Warrenton, Va.
Darian DiMatteo, Sr., DS, Salisbury, Frederick, Md.
Jenna Feinauer, Jr., MB, Salisbury, Bethesda, Md.
Giovanna Martins, Sr., L/DS, UC Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, Calif.
Claire Okerlund, Sr., OH, UC Santa Cruz, Fullerton, Calif.
Krista Rodgers, Jr., MH, Mary Washington, Fairfax, Va.
2021 All-C2C Volleyball Second Team
Noely Bautista, So., S, Mills, Moreno Valley, Calif.
Brianna Ecker, So., OH/S, Mount Mary, Fond du Lac, Wis.
Aidan Finegan, Sr., RS, Mary Washington, Camp Hill, Pa.
Jordan Lyons, So., OH, Mary Washington, Fairfax, Va.
Hannah Sullivan, Sr., MB, Salisbury, Holland, Pa.
Samantha Taylor, So., RS, UC Santa Cruz, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Emily Wilson, Fr., OH, Finlandia, Goodyear, Ariz.
Mackenzie Wright, Sr., MB, Christopher Newport, Burke, Va.
