Four Picked for All-Heart Recognition
Oskaloosa–A quartet of William Penn women’s volleyball players were honored for extraordinary seasons as the 2023 all-Heart of America Athletic Conference teams were announced Monday.
Alyvia Johnson (Jr., Owatonna, Minn., Business Management) was selected to be on the 14-person first team, while Alyssa Young (Sr., Winter Springs, Fla., Exercise Science) earned a spot on the 14-person second squad.
The duo of Riley Hungate (So., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) and Kaya Caprini (So., Minneapolis, Minn., Psychology) were also two of the 17 individuals named to the honorable-mention team. An additional 14 players garnered third-team recognition.
Johnson (first time on first team) and Young (second time on second team) are now both three-time honorees, while Hungate and Caprini are both on the all-Heart teams for the first time in their careers.
The foursome helped WPU to a 16-17 record (10-8 Heart) this fall and a trip to the Heart Tournament.
Johnson finished her year with a team-high 321 kills (3.06 per set) on a .218 attack percentage. She also produced 371 digs (3.53 per set) in addition to 41 blocks, 20 assists, and 20 aces.
A one-time Heart Attacker of the Week, she managed a season-best 26 kills against Columbia on October 21 (three times in the 20s), while tallying a year-high 29 digs versus Graceland on October 27. The junior recorded 14 double-doubles of kills and digs and had 16 double-figure kill performances.
Young’s 226 kills (2.05 per set) came on a .235 attack clip. She also paced WPU with 105 blocks (0.95 per set), while accumulating 71 digs, 24 aces, and eight assists.
The senior, who won one Heart Defender of the Week laurel, posted a season-high 18 kills versus Graceland on October 27. She blocked eight attempts against Mount Mercy on October 10 and finished the campaign with 10 double-figure kill outings.
Hungate notched 193 kills (1.93 per set, .124 attack %) during the 2023 year, while also digging 187 opponent attacks. The sophomore also managed 45 blocks, 13 aces, and 10 assists.
Her season was highlighted by a pair of 13-kill showings, while Hungate also tallied 18 digs against Baker on September 22. She eclipsed double digits in kills on seven occasions.
Caprini guided the back row with 522 digs (4.11 per set), while also finishing the season with 94 assists and 23 aces. Her season-high 29 digs came against Baker on September 22, while she was in double figures 28 times.
Callie Henson of Central Methodist was named Heart Player and Attacker of the Year. Arianna Marino of Park collected the Setter and Freshman of the Year laurels, while Krystal Brauner earned the league’s Defender of the Year award.
Michael Talamantes and Mateus Martins, both of Park, were tabbed as Heart Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year, respectively, by their peers.
