Photo by: Rey Del Rio
Haggerty Named MVP at Volleyball Annual Banquet
1/21/2019 10:47:00 AM | Volleyball
East Lansing, Mich. -- - Michigan State celebrated its 2018 season on Sunday, January 20 at the annual team banquet and awards ceremony. The Spartans handed out team awards and heard from the program's lone senior, Maddie Haggerty, as she reflected upon her Spartan career.
The team awards were decided by a vote of the 16 team members.
Team MVP honors went to senior Maddie Haggerty (Glen Ellyn, Ill). Haggerty was MSU's go-to six-rotation player who averaged 2.92 kills and 2.22 digs per set, and finished with double-doubles in seven of MSU's final nine matches on the season. Haggerty emerged from a two-year hiatus – one season under NCAA transfer rules, one due to a back injury – to lead a very young Spartan team in her final season. One of just three upperclassmen on the team and the lone senior, Haggerty battled the lingering effects of her injury all season but managed to lead not only by title, but also by example. She was perhaps at her best late in the season, posting 17 kills (one shy of her career best) and a career-high 16 digs in the season finale at Michigan.
The team's Playmaker Award went to outside hitter Alyssa Chronowski (Munster, Ind.) The sophomore was the only Spartan player to appear in all 121 sets of the season, and led the squad with 3.02 kills per set, adding .91 digs, .64 blocks, and .21 service aces. She ranked 15th among Big Ten players in kills per set, and was an All-Tournament team selection in three of MSU's pre-Big Ten tournaments. Chronowski was voted the team's Most Improved Player in 2017.
Most Improved Player honors went to freshman defensive specialist Lauryn Gibbs (Mt. Morris, Mich.). Appeared in 87 sets over the course of the season, seeing her role increase as her experience grew. She averaged 1.38 digs per set, and added eight aces.
The team's Extra Mile Award went to libero Jamye Cox (Oregon, Ohio) for the second straight season. Cox, who earned the starting libero spot as a freshman in 2017m appeared in 29 of 33 matches. She led the team with 3.84 digs per set (11th in the Big Ten), and added 20 service aces (0.20 per frame) and 52 assists (0.48).
MSU's Most Inspirational Award was given to defensive specialist Samantha McLean (Grand Rapids, Mich.) for the second consecutive season as well. McLean is a regular in MSU's defensive rotation who appeared in 116 sets over 33 matches, the second-most of any player on the roster. She averaged 1.84 digs, 0.22 assists, and 0.13 aces per set, one of seven Spartans with double-digit ace totals on the year.
In addition to hard work on the court, strong work in the classroom allowed both McLean and redshirt sophomore Lauren Swartz (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to share the Kirkby Scholar-Athlete award. Both boast a perfect 4.0 grade-point average through five semesters on campus, and were Academic All-Big Ten honorees. McLean, a kinesiology major, added CoSIDA/Google Cloud Third Team Academic All-American and First Team All-District honors to her resume as well, becoming the sixth Spartan to earn Academic All-America honors.
Swartz, who missed the first four weeks of the 2018 season with an injury, will earn her undergraduate degree in Economics in May 2019 and begin work on her master's degree. Swartz averaged 1.33 kills and 0.62 blocks per set in the 2018 season.
The Sideout Club Service Award was presented to Jeff and Sally Shull. This award is given annually to a member of the Sideout Club in appreciation for unselfish dedication and efforts on behalf of MSU Volleyball and Michigan State University.
The team awards were decided by a vote of the 16 team members.
Team MVP honors went to senior Maddie Haggerty (Glen Ellyn, Ill). Haggerty was MSU's go-to six-rotation player who averaged 2.92 kills and 2.22 digs per set, and finished with double-doubles in seven of MSU's final nine matches on the season. Haggerty emerged from a two-year hiatus – one season under NCAA transfer rules, one due to a back injury – to lead a very young Spartan team in her final season. One of just three upperclassmen on the team and the lone senior, Haggerty battled the lingering effects of her injury all season but managed to lead not only by title, but also by example. She was perhaps at her best late in the season, posting 17 kills (one shy of her career best) and a career-high 16 digs in the season finale at Michigan. The team's Playmaker Award went to outside hitter Alyssa Chronowski (Munster, Ind.) The sophomore was the only Spartan player to appear in all 121 sets of the season, and led the squad with 3.02 kills per set, adding .91 digs, .64 blocks, and .21 service aces. She ranked 15th among Big Ten players in kills per set, and was an All-Tournament team selection in three of MSU's pre-Big Ten tournaments. Chronowski was voted the team's Most Improved Player in 2017.
Most Improved Player honors went to freshman defensive specialist Lauryn Gibbs (Mt. Morris, Mich.). Appeared in 87 sets over the course of the season, seeing her role increase as her experience grew. She averaged 1.38 digs per set, and added eight aces.
The team's Extra Mile Award went to libero Jamye Cox (Oregon, Ohio) for the second straight season. Cox, who earned the starting libero spot as a freshman in 2017m appeared in 29 of 33 matches. She led the team with 3.84 digs per set (11th in the Big Ten), and added 20 service aces (0.20 per frame) and 52 assists (0.48).
MSU's Most Inspirational Award was given to defensive specialist Samantha McLean (Grand Rapids, Mich.) for the second consecutive season as well. McLean is a regular in MSU's defensive rotation who appeared in 116 sets over 33 matches, the second-most of any player on the roster. She averaged 1.84 digs, 0.22 assists, and 0.13 aces per set, one of seven Spartans with double-digit ace totals on the year.
In addition to hard work on the court, strong work in the classroom allowed both McLean and redshirt sophomore Lauren Swartz (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to share the Kirkby Scholar-Athlete award. Both boast a perfect 4.0 grade-point average through five semesters on campus, and were Academic All-Big Ten honorees. McLean, a kinesiology major, added CoSIDA/Google Cloud Third Team Academic All-American and First Team All-District honors to her resume as well, becoming the sixth Spartan to earn Academic All-America honors.
Swartz, who missed the first four weeks of the 2018 season with an injury, will earn her undergraduate degree in Economics in May 2019 and begin work on her master's degree. Swartz averaged 1.33 kills and 0.62 blocks per set in the 2018 season.
The Sideout Club Service Award was presented to Jeff and Sally Shull. This award is given annually to a member of the Sideout Club in appreciation for unselfish dedication and efforts on behalf of MSU Volleyball and Michigan State University.
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