WNT Update: NCAA Honors Eggleston

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 13, 2024) – Congratulations to Logan Eggleston who was named the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Eggleston, an outside hitter, was announced as the winner on Jan. 11 at the NCAA Convention in Phoenix during a celebration of the Top 30 honorees. Eggleston’s parents accepted the honor on her behalf, as she is playing for Galatasaray Daikin in Türkiye.

The Woman of the Year award was created in 1991 to recognize graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves in athletics, academics, leadership and community service.

“It was such an honor to be nominated,” Eggleston said in an NCAA press release. “There are so many amazing student-athletes across the country who are going through their own journeys and their own hardships and finding ways to power through, find success and just grow as people. To be listed alongside some of these amazing student-athletes is incredible, and I’m so honored to have even been considered.”

A three-year team captain, Eggleston led her team to the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship title and was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player and the 2022 AVCA National Player of the Year. Eggleston also earned the 2023 Honda Sport Award for Volleyball, which is presented to the top collegiate female volleyball player.

Charlotte Richards, who played NCAA Division II volleyball at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, was also a finalist for the award.

TÜRKIYE

Galatasaray Daikin (7-7) with Eggleston and opposite Danielle Cuttino beat Nilüfer Belediyespor 3-0 (25-22, 25-9, 25-19) on Jan. 7. Eggleston scored 16 points on 13 kills, one block and two aces. Cuttino added 14 points on 10 kills, three blocks and one ace. Gneiting did not play.

VakifBank (13-1) with outside hitter Ali Frantti, middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu and opposite Jordan Thompson swept Karayollari (25-12, 25-14, 25-18) in their first match of the new year on Jan. 5. Frantti scored 14 points on 14 kills (.429). Ogbogu started the first two sets and scored five points on four kills and one ace. Thompson did not play.

Kuzeyboru and outside hitter Sarah Wilhite Parsons (10-4) beat PTT on Jan. 7, 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 13-25, 25-23, 15-7). Wilhite Parsons scored 18 points on 16 kills (.500), one block and one ace.

Opposite Stephanie Samedy scored 19 points on 18 kills and one ace as Muratpaşa Bld. Sigorta Shop (7-7) beat Cukurova Bld, 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 25-18) on Jan. 7. U.S. outside hitter Micaya White started the first two sets for Muratpaşa and scored two points on a kill and an ace.

Setter Lauren Carlini and Aydın Büyükşehir Belediyespor (4-10) fell to Fenerbahce Opet 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-17) on Jan. 7. Carlini scored four points on two kills and two aces. She set her team to a .348 hitting efficiency.

ITALY

Prosseco Doc Imoco Conegliano with outside hitters Kelsey (Robinson) Cook, Khalia Lanier and Kathryn Plummer and setter Madi Bugg improved to 15-0 with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-19) win over Honda Olivero S.Bernardo Cuneo (5-10) with middle Anna Hall and outside hitter Madi Kubik on Jan. 7.

Plummer scored 10 points on nine kills and one block. Cook added six points on five kills and one block. Lanier and Bugg did not play. For S.Bernardo, Hall scored five points on four kills and one block. Kubik scored three points on three kills.

Middle Dana Rettke, outside hitter Kara Bajema and Allianz Vero Volley Milano (14-1) swept Itas Trentino 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-22) on Jan. 7. Rettke and Bajema did not play.

Middle Haleigh Washington and Savino Del Bene Scandicci (13-2) beat Uyba Volley Busto Arsizio 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-15, 25-11) on Jan. 6. Washington started the first two sets and scored three points on two kills and a block. U.S. outside hitter Lindsey Ruddins scored 16 points on 15 kills and one block. For Arsizio, Skylar Fields played as a substitute.

Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 (9-6) with outside hitters Avery Skinner and Madi Kingdon Rishel swept Aeroitalia Smi Roma (25-21, 25-18, 25-16) on Jan. 6. Skinner scored 10 points on nine kills and one block. Kingdon Rishel added eight points on six kills, one block and one ace.

GERMANY

SC Potsdam (8-6) beat VC Neuwied 77 on Jan. 6, 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-17). Libero Justine Wong-Orantes did not play. U.S. middle Breland Morrissette scored 10 points on seven kills and three blocks.

Middle Kayla Haneline and Allianz MTV Stuttgart (13-1) beat VfB Suhl Lotto Thüringen on Jan. 4, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-21). Haneline did not play. U.S. opposite Krystal Rivers led all scorers with 21 points on 18 kills, one block and two aces.

JAPAN

Opposite Annie Drews and JT Marvelous went 2-0 in their first two matches of the new year and lead the league at 13-0.

On Jan. 6, Marvelous beat the Toyota Auto Body Queenseis 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 26-24). Drews scored eight points on seven kills and one block. The next day, JT Marvelous defeated the Saitama Ageo Medics 3-1 (24-26, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20). Drews scored 10 points on 10 kills.

BRAZIL

Outside hitter Roni Jones Perry led all scorers with 14 points on 14 kills and SESC RJ Flamengo (9-1) beat Dentil Praia Clube 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-16) on Jan. 6.

On Jan. 9, Perry again led all scorers as she finished with 24 points in a 3- 1 (25-18, 25-16, 21-25, 25-22). Perry scored on 18 kills, a match-high four blocks and two aces.

Middle Brionne Butler and Osasco Sao Cristovao Saude (7-3) have gone 2-0 in the new year. On Jan. 5, they beat Gerdau Minas 3-1 (25-16, 25-23, 12-25, 25-17). Butler scored six points on four kills and two blocks. U.S. middle Callie Schwarzenbach added nine points on four kills, three blocks and two aces.

On Jan. 10, Osasco Sao Cristovao Saude beat Dentil Praia Clube 3-1 (28-26, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20). Butler scored 12 points on a match-high five blocks, six kills and one ace. Schwarzenbach totaled 10 points on eight kills and two blocks.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

In Pool A, Rettke, Bajema and Italy’s Allianz Vero Volley Milano are 5-0 after beating Serbia’s Jedinstvo Stara Pazova 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-18) on Jan. 10. Rettke scored 13 points on eight kills and a match-high five blocks. Bajema added 11 points on seven kills, three blocks and one ace.

Frantti, Ogbogu and Thompson each scored 10 points as Türkiye’s VakifBank beat France’s Volley Mulhouse Alcase 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-17) on Jan. 9. Frantti scored on eight kills and two blocks. Ogbogu scored on nine kills and one block. Thompson had 10 kills. VakifBank is 4-1 in Pool A.

Washington and Italy’s Savino Del Bene Scandicci move to 5-0 in Pool B on Jan. 10 with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-16) win over Bulgaria’s Maritza Plovdiv. Washington scored five points on three kills, one block and one ace.

Wong-Orantes and Germany’s SC Potsdam are now 3-2 in Pool C after beating Poland’s Grot Budowlani Łódź 3-1 (20-25, 25-16, 26-24, 25-18) on Jan. 10. Wong-Orantes was credited with four receptions. Opposite Danielle Harbin started sets 2-4 and scored 20 points on 19 kills and one ace. Morrissette added five points on three aces, one kill and one block. For Łódź, U.S. outside hitter Mac May scored 11 points on eight kills and three blocks.

In Pool D, Cook, Lanier, Plummer and Bugg helped Italy’s Prosseco Doc Imoco Conegliano improve to 5-0 with a sweep of Belgium’s Asterix Avo Beveren (25-11, 25-14, 25-14). Plummer scored 11 points on 10 kills and one ace. Lanier added eight points on four kills, one block and three aces.

Haneline and Allianz MTV Stuttgart went to 2-3 in Pool D with a 3-2 (21-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-14, 15-9) win over Poland’s PGE Rysice Rzeszow on Jan. 10. Haneline started the final three sets and scored seven points on six kills and one block. Rivers led all scorers with 27 points on 26 kills and one block.

CEV CUP

Skinner, Kingdon Rishel and Italy’s Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 beat Poland’s Grupa Azoty Chemik Police 3-1 (25-19, 16-25, 25-20, 25-19) in the first match of the playoff phase of the CEV Cup on Jan. 10. Skinner scored 17 points on 16 kills (.520) and one ace. Kingdon Rishel started the first two sets and scored five points on five kills.

CEV CHALLENGE CUP

Opposite Taylor Mims led all scorers with 21 points as France’s Neptunes de Nantes beat Greece’s Panathinaikos AC Athens 3-1 (25-21, 25-27, 25-21, 25-21) in the quarterfinals of the CEV Challenge Cup on Jan. 10.

Mims scored on 18 kills, two blocks and one ace. U.S. opposite Sherridan Atikinson led Panathinaikos with 17 points on 16 kills and one ace.