NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - For the second year in a row, Wilmington University volleyball libero Elly Collins has been tabbed the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Defensive Player of the Year while both she and teammate Shannen Litten earned First Team All-Conference as the conference teams were announced on Tuesday.
It is the first time in program history that a Wildcat has earned a CACC Major Award more than once, as Collins was also the 2022 CACC Defensive Player of the Year. It is also her second time being named the First Team All-CACC libero while Shannen Litten earns a postseason accolade for the time in her career.
Elly Collins (Tarpon Spring, Fla.) leads the CACC and is second in all of NCAA Division II with 602 digs this year. She also leads the CACC and is 11th in the country in averaging 5.47 digs per set, which would be the program's second best for a single season. Collins became the first Wildcat to ever reach the 2,000 career dig plateau, and is now distancing herself from the rest of the pack with 2,302 career digs. She's had 30 or more digs three times this season with a season's best 35 in a four-set match at Adelphi. Collins also carries a .931 reception percentage into the postseason to go with 30 aces (0.27 per set).
Shannen Litten (Leonardtown, Md.) is yet another middle hitter from the Wildcats that earned an All-CACC nod. The Wildcats have had a middle on one of the three All-CACC teams every year since 2018 and joins Angel Oliver and Kacey Affrunti as First Team selections in the past three years. Litten was the only player in the conference to average over a block per set. She leads the CACC with 116 total blocks, averaging 1.06 per set on the year. She's had a season's high nine total blocks twice this year, first at Adelphi and again against Georgian Court. She is also third on the team offensively, averaging 1.94 kills per set while hitting a team best (7th in the CACC) .272. Litten has six matches of double-digit kills, including a career best 16 kills with only one error on 26 swings at Bloomfield, hitting .577 in the match.
Thomas Jefferson's Morgan Ritchie was voted the CACC Player of the Year while Bridgeport's freshman outside hitter Hailey Jessen was named the CACC Rookie of the Year. Jaden Drollinger, the Purple Knights' setter, was named the CACC Setter of the Year while their coach Gary Mullin was voted the CACC Coach of the Year by the conference's sports information directors. Goldey-Beacom took home the 2023 CACC Team Sportsmanship Award.
The All-CACC First Team consisted of three Bridgeport players, two Jefferson's players, and two Wilmington student-athletes.
The Wildcats travel to Felician for the First Round of the CACC Tournament on Tuesday night. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m.
2023 CACC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS:
First Team:
L Elly Collins (Wilmington University)
S Jaden Drollinger (University of Bridgeport)
OH Hailey Jessen (University of Bridgeport)
OH Jess Molen (Thomas Jefferson University)
OH Morgan Ritchie (Thomas Jefferson University)
MB Shannen Litten (Wilmington University)
MB Lucia Tomiello (University of Bridgeport)
Second Team:
L Cameron Johnson (Thomas Jefferson University)
S Caroline Bond (Thomas Jefferson University)
OH Caley Harper (Post University)
OH Karla Maldonado (Felician University)
OH Nylene Mateo (Georgian Court University)
MB Ava Kidd (Holy Family University)
MB Chelsea Ross (Georgian Court University)
Third Team:
L Miquela Martinez (Felician University)
S Mia Caporellie (Chestnut Hill College)
OH Kaitlyn Carr (Dominican University)
OH Rachel Mace (Chestnut Hill College)
OH Datari Mathis (University of Bridgeport)
MB Aaliyah Ellis (Dominican University)
MB Amiyah Woods (Georgian Court University)
2023 CACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Morgan Ritchie (Thomas Jefferson University)
2023 CACC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Hailey Jessen (University of Bridgeport)
2023 CACC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Elly Collins (Wilmington University)
2023 CACC SETTER OF THE YEAR: Jaden Drollinger (University of Bridgeport)
2023 CACC COACH OF THE YEAR: Gary Mullin (University of Bridgeport)
2023 CACC TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Goldey-Beacom College