• 2023 All-OVC Volleyball Teams and Award Winners (PDF) | Photo Gallery
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Ohio Valley Conference announced the 2023 OVC volleyball award winners and All-Conference teams on Sunday night at a banquet the night before the OVC Championship Tournament gets underway in Charleston, Illinois.
In a vote of league head coaches and communications directors, Eastern Illinois head coach
Sara Thomas was named OVC Coach of the Year and was joined by her players
Giovana Larregui López, who repeated as OVC Player of the Year, and
Catalina Rochaix, who was named Setter of the Year. Southeast Missouri libero
Tara Beilsmith repeated as OVC Defensive Player of the Year while the Redhawks
Lucy Arndt was named OVC Freshman of the Year.
The league also announced the All-OVC first and second teams. EIU led the way with four of the 14 first-team selections, while Morehead State, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech each had two first-team picks. Lindenwood and Southeast Missouri led the way with two second-team selections.
In her fourth season with the program, Thomas led Eastern Illinois to its third overall OVC regular season championship and first outright crown since 1998. In each of her seasons with the program the Panthers have improved their overall and conference records, including going from 2-14 in OVC play in 2020 to 15-3 this season. Overall the team was 25-4 this season, the most wins for the team since 2004. Thomas is the third EIU coach to earn the honor and first since 2013 (Katie Price).
Larregui Lopez earned the Player of the Year for the second-straight season after leading the league in points, kills and aces in leading Eastern Illinois to its third regular season crown and first outright title since 1998. In all matches she averaged 4.00 kills and 0.59 aces/set and in League play those numbers were 4.23 kills and 0.55 aces/set. Three times during the year she had 25 or more kills, including a season-best 26 against Tennessee Tech. Her seven aces against IUPUI are tied for the sixth-most in a four-set match nationally this season. Entering the postseason she ranks fifth nationally in aces/set (0.59), 16th in total points (502.5) and 40th in kills/set (4.00) Larregui Lopez is the first player to repeat as Player of the Year since Murray State’s Scott Ingram won the award in three-straight years (2014-16).
Rochaix helped guide her team to a .277 hitting percentage, a mark that led the OVC and ranks 21st nationally this season. Entering the postseason she ranks eighth nationally in assists/set (10.92). Seven times during the year she had 50-plus assists in a match, including 64 at SIUE, the 11th most nationally in 2023. Rochaix also added eight double-doubles, including a season-high 14 digs at Southeast Missouri. The sophomore also added 27 blocks and 23 service aces. Rochaix is the first Panther to earn the Setter of the Year honor, which was first bestowed in 2015.
After becoming the first Southeast Missouri individual to win the Defensive Player of the Year award a season ago, Beilsmith repeated as the winner this season. The graduate student enters the postseason averaging 6.36 digs/set, a mark that is second nationally, while her 712 total digs is the most of any Division I player. She also needs just three more digs to move into third place in NCAA history. Beilsmith had 40-plus digs three times in 2023, including 48 in a win over Western Illinois; that is the most nationally this season in a four-set match. She was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week five times during the year.
Arndt made an immediate impact for her team, helping the Redhawks to a 20-win season and 12-6 mark in league play, which placed them second during the regular season. In Conference action she ranked fourth in both kills (3.93/set) and points (4.48/set) and 10th in aces (0.34/set) while her 461.0 total points ranks 45th nationally and second among all freshmen. She was named OVC Freshman of the Week seven times during the year. She is the second SEMO player to be named Freshman of the Year, joining Emily Scannell from 2000.
2023 All-OVC Teams and Award Winners
OVC Player of the Year: Giovana Larregui López, Eastern Illinois
OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Tara Beilsmith, Southeast Missouri
OVC Setter of the Year: Catalina Rochaix, Eastern Illinois
OVC Freshman of the Year: Lucy Arndt, Southeast Missouri
OVC Coach of the Year: Sara Thomas, Eastern Illinois
ALL-OVC FIRST TEAM
OH - Giovana Larregui López, Eastern Illinois
OH - Leah Anderson, Southern Indiana
OH - M.E. Hargan, Morehead State
RS - Natalie Mitchem, Eastern Illinois
L - Tara Beilsmith, Southeast Missouri
OH - Madolyn Isringhausen, Tennessee Tech
S - Catalina Rochaix, Eastern Illinois
OH - Lucy Arndt, Southeast Missouri
OH - Keyana Cruse, Western Illinois
MB - Daedrianna Cail, Little Rock
L - Christina Martinez Mundo, Eastern Illinois
MB - Priscilla Jones, SIUE
MB - Irene Wogenstahl, Morehead State
MB - Skylar Boom, Tennessee Tech
ALL-OVC SECOND TEAM
RS - Abby Bednar, Southern Indiana
S - Jordan Karlen, Tennessee Tech
OH - Nyah Wilson, Lindenwood
MB - Olivia Saunders, UT Martin
S - Izzy Lukens, Southeast Missouri
MB - Marisa Guisti, Southeast Missouri
L - Jessie Seidel, Lindenwood