TAMPA, Fla. – Four players from regular-season champion Keiser headline The Sun Conference Volleyball All-Conference first team. Two more Seahawks made the second unit as the honorees – first-team, second-team, Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Setter of the Year, Libero of the Year, Coach of the Year and Champion of Character – were announced on Thursday evening at the sport's banquet in West Palm Beach. The final four teams – Keiser, Coastal Georgia, Southeastern and Florida Memorial -- begin semifinal-round play with a pair of matches at Keiser's Massimino Court on Friday. The Sun Conference Tournament Championship match will be played Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Alexandra Gonzalez was featured as the lone Royal in All-Conference selections and named to the First-Team. Gonzalez shattered several career high's this season. On September 28, she set her career high of 25 kills in a single match against Ave Maria. She went on to tie that number two weeks later against Southeastern with another 25 kill match. She amassed 59 attempts against St. Thomas on November 9^th. Gonzalez went on to break two more career high's when she 31 digs against Johnson & Wales, and also in the same match served up 5 aces.
 
The selections were made in a vote of the nine conference coaches.
 
Keiser junior outside hitter Abbie Seward (Bloomington, Ill.) was voted the Sun's Player of the Year for the second straight season. A first-team Sun selection and honorable mention All-American last year as well, Seward led the league in conference play with 245 total kills and ranked a close second in kills per set (4.3). A three-time Sun Attacker of the Week in 2019, Seward also ranks 15^th in the conference in digs (2.7 per set) and fifth in hitting percentage (.283).
 
Keiser sophomore Brooklyn Vandehei (Burlington, Wis.) was selected as the Sun's Setter of the Year. The Seahawks' starting libero as a freshman in 2018, Vandehei transitioned to the setting role in outstanding fashion as she led the Sun in conference games only with 689 assists and an average of 12.1 assists per game. Vandehei led all NAIA setters with 1,440 assists on the season and ranked sixth in the NAIA in assists per set. Vandehei was named The Sun Conference Setter of the Week seven times during the 2019 season.
 
Coastal Georgia senior Yorelis "Jo Jo" Rios Gonzalez (Barranquitas, Puerto Rico) was recognized by the league's coaches as the Libero of the Year. Gonzalez led The Sun in conference matches in digs per set (5.5) and was second in total digs (502). Her outstanding defensive play helped lead the Mariners to a second-place finish and a No. 2 seed in The Sun Conference Tournament. Gonzalez was a second-team All-Sun pick a year ago and was a three-time Sun Defender of the Week this season as well.
 
Ave Maria setter Katie Grose (Brighton, Mich.) has been chosen as The Sun Conference Freshman of the Year. Grose placed second in the league (conference matches only) in assists per set (8.9) and third in total assists (500). She added 105 kills for her setting position as well. Grose was named the Sun's Setter of the Week on two occasions in 2019.
 
Southeastern junior Hannah Kaszubowski (Sebring, Fla.) is a repeat winner as the conference's volleyball Champion of Character award. The defensive specialist for the Fire has demonstrated much generosity and purpose in her time away from the classroom and volleyball court as a volunteer in her community and on numerous mission trips. She was part of the leadership that started a new group called Athletic Bible Study last year and co-led a mission trip to Panama this past summer following her mission trip to Coast Rica last spring. She is a social work major and spends multiple hours each week volunteering with a group called Parker Street Ministries. Kaszubowski will be returning to Panama this upcoming year to live with missionaries for an extended period of time during the summer and is also going to Columbia with the Athletic Bible Study group she helps lead. 
 
Keiser's second-year head coach James Rogers has been chosen by his peers at the league's Coach of the Year. Rogers led his Seahawks to the program's first conference championship and tutored outside hitter Abbie Seward to the league's Player of the Year recognition for the second straight season. Keiser improved from a 6-10 mark and sixth-place finish in 2018 to a 13-3 first-place record in 2019. The Seahawks won 29 matches overall thus far, easily surpassing their previous high mark. The 29-9 season included a school-best 17-match winning streak.
 
The Sun Conference All-Conference teams:
 
First Team
Katie Grose, Ave Maria, S (Fr.)
Madelyn Haut, Ave Maria, MB (Fr.)
Yorelis (JoJo) Rios Gonzalez, Coastal Georgia, L (Sr.)
Biancaliz Cruz, Florida Memorial OH/RS (Fr.)
Sharell Nairn, Johnson & Wales, MB (Sr.)
Cassie Cox, Keiser, MB (Fr.)
Jordan Odom, Keiser, OH/DS (Jr.)
Abbie Seward, Keiser, OH (Jr.)
Brooklyn Vandehei, Keiser, S (Soph.)
Emily Boehlein, Southeastern, RS/MB (Jr.)
Taylor Gregory, Southeastern, MB (Sr.)
Emily Kalmink, Southeastern, MB (Sr.)
Tyran Chenault, St. Thomas, MB (Jr.)
Alexandra Gonzalez, Warner, OH (Jr.)
 
Second Team
Ashley Kot, Coastal Georgia, S (Jr.)
Addie Pedraza, Coastal Georgia, OH/DS (Sr.)
Daphinie Correa, Florida Memorial, MB (Jr.)
Keisha Santana, Florida Memorial, L (Jr.)
Eshe Malone, Keiser, OH (Sr.)
Stephanie Sanchez, Keiser, L/OH (Soph.)
Sarah Castillo, Southeastern, S (Sr.)
Arianna Bolinger, St. Thomas, OH (Soph.)
 
First-team repeat honorees from 2018 include Keiser's Seward and Southeastern's Emily Boehlein. Coastal Georgia's Gonzalez (1^st  team) and Ashley Kot (1^st team), Southeastern's Taylor Gregory (2^nd team) and Emily Kalmink (2^nd team) and Arianna Bolinger of St. Thomas (1^st team) were all Sun award winners in 2018 as well.