Quick preface: these rankings are built on numbers and nothing else - and players are more than numbers. I hope these "honors" can spark conversation, aid some VT diehards in their arguments, and just make folks curious about analytics in general. Please take these rankings with a grain of salt and the solace that numbers cannot capture the entire value a player brings to the court - and therefore these awards are inherently flawed. But I still think they're interesting, hence, I have posted them.
But without much further ado...
Player of the Year:
Sarah Franklin - Wisconsin, Outside Hitter
Freshman of the Year:
Olivia Babcock - Pitt, Opposite
1st Team
Andelyn Simkins - Western Michigan - Libero
Anna Smrek - Wisconsin - Opposite
Carter Booth - Wisconsin - Middle
Chiamaka Nwokolo - Pitt - Middle
Hannah Pukis - Oregon - Setter
Jill Gillen - Arkansas - Outside
Kami Miner - Stanford - Setter
Kendall Kipp - Stanford - Opposite
Kenna Sauer - Houston - Outside
Lexi Rodriguez - Nebraska - Libero
Liv Mogridge - Georgia Tech - Middle
Madisen Skinner - Texas - Outside
Marta Levinska - Arizona State - Opposite
Paige Briggs - Western Kentucky - Outside
Rachel Fairbanks - Pitt - Setter
Ramsey Gary - Indiana - Libero
Sarah Franklin - Wisconsin - Outside
2nd Team
Emma Monks - Pitt - Middle
Erin Livingston - BYU - Outside
Erin Powers - Northern Iowa - Libero
Gillian Grimes - Penn State - Libero
Izzy Ashburn - Wisconsin - Setter
Jess Mruzik - Penn State - Outside
Kara McGhee - Oregon - Middle
Kendra Wait - Creighton - Setter
Magda Jehlarova - Washington State - Middle
Melani Shaffmaster - Minnesota - Setter
Merritt Beason - Nebraska - Opposite
Norah Sis - Creighton - Outside
Olivia Babcock - Pitt - Opposite
Reagan Rutherford - Kentucky - Opposite
Skylar Fields - USC - Outside
Taylor Head - Arkansas - Outside
Yelianiz Torres - Tennessee - Libero
Honorable Mention
Abbie Jackson - Houston - Outside
Andi Jackson - Nebraska - Middle
Annie Cate Fitzpatrick - Florida - Outside
Annie Cooke - Houston - Setter
Argentina Ung - Washington State - Setter
Asjia O'Neal - Texas - Middle
Ava Martin - Creighton - Outside
Azhani Tealer - Kentucky - Middle
Bianca Bertolino - Georgia Tech - Outside
Caitie Baird - Stanford - Outside
Camryn Turner - Kansas - Setter
Cara Cresse - Louisville - Middle
Caroline Kerr - Tennessee - Setter
Devyn Robinson - Wisconsin - Opposite
Eleanor Beavin - Kentucky - Libero
Eva Hudson - Purdue - Outside
Georgia Murphy - Oregon - Libero
Jenaisya Moore - Tennessee - Outside
Julia Orzol - Wisconsin - Libero
Kate Georgiades - Houston - Libero
Kennedy Martin - Florida - Opposite
Khori Louis - Florida State - Middle
Maggie Cartwright - Arkanas - Opposite
May Pertofsky - Washington - Opposite
Morgahn Fingall - Tennessee - Opposite
Morgan Lewis - Oregon - Opposite
Raina Terry - Illinois - Outside
Rylee Rader - Ohio State - Middle
Sarah Kushner - Marquette - Libero
Shannon Shields - Arizona State - Setter
Sina Uluave - SMU - Libero
Torrey Stafford - Pitt - Outside
Valeria Vazquez - Pitt - Outside
Whitney Bower - BYU - Setter
If you've made it this far, I appreciate you.
For Outsides and Opposites, we used "total value" they bring to the team. This means we do not weigh their skillsets equally across their peers, but rather look at the overall total contribution of the athlete. This is why you see these rows ordered by MVP Value.
For Middles, Setters, and Liberos - we used "weighted impact per touch" to see who is the best at the position. This is different because it compares players with their peers using equal criteria. For example, if we used "total value" for setters, anyone in a 6-2 would basically be disqualified because they only accrue value during 3 rotations. I thought this method made the most sense for these positions - while "total value" made more sense for how we typically think about the OH and OPP positions in their workhorse capacities.
You are more than welcome to disagree with my methodology and thus inherently with my lists in general. But again, these are only to help spark discussion and hopefully propel the volleyball analytics conversation forward.