SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Santa Clara University beach volleyball team received four all-West Coast Conference honors on Tuesday, highlighted by Julia Sangiacomo's second consecutive first team accolade in the conference's announcement of its annual awards.
Sangiacomo earned her third career all-WCC award Tuesday after also being named to the first team in 2022 and the second team in 2021. Sangiacomo's main partner for the 2023 season, Nicole Robison, as well as Jordan Bennett, were both named to the 2023 all-WCC second team. Ella Duffner was named to the WCC all-freshman team, giving the Broncos a member of the all-freshman squad for the third consecutive year.
Sangiacomo went 21-13 for the Broncos in 2023, all at the top pairs spot. She and Robison went 18-12 together, including a two-set sweep over the top pair from No. 18 Arizona on the Wildcats' own home sand back on March 31. Sangiacomo and Robison won seven matches in a row from April 7-15. Sangiacomo won 16 of 20 matches from March 11 to April 15 with three different partners.
Robison went 19-12 on the year, including her 18-12 mark at No. 1 pairs with Sangiacomo, and a 1-0 record at No. 2. She won seven in a row and 10 of 11 with Sangiacomo from March 31 to April 15. Robison and Sangiacomo were always competitive, even in defeat, with half of their defeats at No. 1 pairs coming in three sets.
Bennett tied with Robison and three other players with 19 wins – second-most on the team. She went 19-11 during the season, which included an 18-9 mark at the No. 4 position, a 1-1 record at No. 3 and an 0-1 showing at the 5s. Bennett regularly paired with partner Claire Doud, where the duo went a combined 16-9 at the No. 4 spot. Bennett won seven in a row from March 8-25 with two different partners, then won six of eight with Doud from April 1-15, all at the No. 4 spot.
Duffner went 19-15 in her collegiate debut season and showed her versatility, playing at three different pairs spots with five different partners. She went 7-4 at the No. 2 spot – which included a 6-4 mark with partner Elena Radeff – and 12-10 at No. 3, which featured six wins with Katie Kishton and another four with Radeff. Duffner won five straight from March 11-25 with two different partners. She went 3-2 with Radeff at the WCC Championship Tournament, helping the Broncos beat Saint Mary's on day two and finish third for the second year in a row.
LMU went undefeated in WCC matches this season, won its fourth straight WCC Championship last Friday in Santa Monica, and the Lions swept the 2023 WCC all-conference and major awards. The Lions also placed a league-best seven student-athletes on 18 available spots between the first and second teams.
All-WCC First, Second and Freshman Team selections and major individual awards were selected solely by the seven conference head coaches. Due to a tie among voting for the second team, there are nine student-athletes on this year's all-conference second team.
LMU's Melanie Paul had her named called twice for the Conference awards as both a member of the Pair of the Year with Valma Prihti and the Defensive Player of the Year. John Mayer collected his fourth straight WCC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Lions back into the NCAA Championship as a No. 6 seed. Chloe Hooker emerged as the Freshman of the Year after being a part of both of the WCC Pair of the Month duos for March and April.
