Brady, Willis Capture Major Awards; Four Honored with Postseason Nods
11/19/2021 12:30:00 PM | Volleyball
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Ahead of Friday afternoon's quarterfinal match up, the Davidson volleyball program saw four of its own honored by the Atlantic 10 Conference's postseason awards, the league office announced Friday morning.
Sophomore libero Bella Brady and head coach Chris Willis headlined the honors, as Brady was named the league's Co-Libero of the Year and Willis earned his first Co-Coach of the Year nod during his Davidson tenure. Brady and Willis each shared their respective titles with regular season champion, Dayton University's head coach and libero.
In addition to the major awards, Brady was also named to the All-Conference First Team, while senior Hattie Rodriguez made the All-Conference Second Team and freshman Isabel Decker earned a spot on the All-Rookie team.
"I'm proud of these awards for our program," said Willis. "It's a reflection of the resilience of our scholar-athletes and coaches. They've done an amazing job of staying true to our core values and this recognition is more about them responding to a difficult year with hard work and determination."
Willis' Coach of the Year title comes as the first head coaching nod for the program since 2000, while Davidson's five postseason honors marks the most for the team since 1999 as the Wildcats finished the regular season 14-12 overall and 10-6 in A-10 play, marking their best finish since the 2013 season and best season in the Atlantic 10 in program history.
Brady's Co-Libero of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection comes after the sophomore had one of the strongest defensive seasons in program history. The five time A-10 Defensive Player of the Week had 24 double-digit dig performances this year, eight 20+ dig efforts and three 30+ performances including a career-high 36 digs against Idaho State. The Winter Park, Fla. native averaged a league-best 5.4 digs per set in the regular season, totaling 526 total digs and 742 career digs before the end of her sophomore year.
"Bella has risen above the circumstances of this past year and has been striving for greatness from the first day she arrived on our campus," Willis said. "I'm excited for her and her future on the court with the 'Cats."
Rodriguez, a local product out of Charlotte, has led the Wildcats offensively with 3.28 kills per set during her senior season. With 302 total kills on the year, Rodriguez has accounted for 331 points, 3.6 points per set and recorded two double-doubles in her final season while leading the 'Cats to their historic season. As a rookie, Decker has followed in Rodriguez's footsteps, accounting for 2.73 kills per set and earning 224 kills in her first season. The Illinois native has started in nearly every match for the Wildcats this year, recording nine double-doubles during the regular season.
Keep up with the Wildcats as they begin their postseason pursuit on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Complete coverage can be found at davidsonwildcats.com/coverage.
Sophomore libero Bella Brady and head coach Chris Willis headlined the honors, as Brady was named the league's Co-Libero of the Year and Willis earned his first Co-Coach of the Year nod during his Davidson tenure. Brady and Willis each shared their respective titles with regular season champion, Dayton University's head coach and libero.
In addition to the major awards, Brady was also named to the All-Conference First Team, while senior Hattie Rodriguez made the All-Conference Second Team and freshman Isabel Decker earned a spot on the All-Rookie team.
"I'm proud of these awards for our program," said Willis. "It's a reflection of the resilience of our scholar-athletes and coaches. They've done an amazing job of staying true to our core values and this recognition is more about them responding to a difficult year with hard work and determination."
Willis' Coach of the Year title comes as the first head coaching nod for the program since 2000, while Davidson's five postseason honors marks the most for the team since 1999 as the Wildcats finished the regular season 14-12 overall and 10-6 in A-10 play, marking their best finish since the 2013 season and best season in the Atlantic 10 in program history.
Brady's Co-Libero of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection comes after the sophomore had one of the strongest defensive seasons in program history. The five time A-10 Defensive Player of the Week had 24 double-digit dig performances this year, eight 20+ dig efforts and three 30+ performances including a career-high 36 digs against Idaho State. The Winter Park, Fla. native averaged a league-best 5.4 digs per set in the regular season, totaling 526 total digs and 742 career digs before the end of her sophomore year.
"Bella has risen above the circumstances of this past year and has been striving for greatness from the first day she arrived on our campus," Willis said. "I'm excited for her and her future on the court with the 'Cats."
Rodriguez, a local product out of Charlotte, has led the Wildcats offensively with 3.28 kills per set during her senior season. With 302 total kills on the year, Rodriguez has accounted for 331 points, 3.6 points per set and recorded two double-doubles in her final season while leading the 'Cats to their historic season. As a rookie, Decker has followed in Rodriguez's footsteps, accounting for 2.73 kills per set and earning 224 kills in her first season. The Illinois native has started in nearly every match for the Wildcats this year, recording nine double-doubles during the regular season.
Keep up with the Wildcats as they begin their postseason pursuit on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Complete coverage can be found at davidsonwildcats.com/coverage.
?????????? doesn't even begin to describe how we feel right now.
— Davidson Volleyball (@DavidsonVB) November 19, 2021
Bella Brady - Co-Libero of the Year & First Team All-Conference
Chris Willis - Co-Coach of the Year
Hattie Rodriguez - Second Team All-Conference
Isabel Decker - All-Rookie Team
Now let's go get a W! pic.twitter.com/dYSwHePKBg
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