Sydney Leffler Named RMAC Volleyball Player of the Year
DENVER, Colo. – Colorado Mesa University’s Sydney Leffler is the 2023 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday in addition to the league’s other individual honors and all-conference awards. In addition to Leffler’s honor, fellow Colorado Mesa teammates Allison Waller and Sabrina VanDeList were voted the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year and Setter of the Year, respectively. South Dakota Mines’ Ivy Vindivich is the RMAC Freshman of the Year after leading the Hardrockers in her debut season for her team. Metropolitan State University of Denver head coach Jenny Glenn is the league’s Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. RMAC individual awards and all-conference teams are voted on by the league’s 15 head coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their players.
For the first time in her career, Leffler claims the RMAC Volleyball Player of the Year honor after leading the Mavericks to a 23-3 overall record and a conference record of 12-2 in the regular season, helping the Mavericks claim the No. 2 seed at the 2023 RMAC Volleyball Tournament. The junior ranks first in the RMAC and 15th in the nation with 4.72 points per set this season. With 405 kills on the year, Leffler ranks 12th nationally and first in the RMAC with 4.40 kills per set and is a crucial figure as a junior outside hitter for the No. 10 Mavs.
South Dakota Mines’ Ivy Vindivich claims RMAC Freshman of the Year after a spectacular 2023 campaign in which the Hardrockers finished the regular season with a 17-9 overall record and a 10-4 mark in conference play to claim the No. 4 seed in the RMAC Tournament. The outside hitter ranks fourth in the RMAC with 184 kills on a stellar .290 hitting percentage. She has racked up 200.5 points on the season, which ranks fifth in the league. Altogether, the freshman leads the Hardrockers to their most successful season since 2011 and their very first winning season since the 2014 season.
Allison Waller is the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year after bolstering a stingy defense for the Mavs in 2023 with 4.45 digs per set. Over 92 sets played throughout the season, she has amassed 413 digs and boasts a .942 reception percentage. The libero’s defensive efforts help the Mavericks limit opponents to a .183 hitting percentage. Waller currently accounts for over 25 percent of Colorado Mesa’s digs on the year and helped her squad close the regular season with wins in five of its last six matches.
Colorado Mesa’s Sabrina VanDeList is the RMAC Setter of the Year after pacing an explosive Colorado Mesa offense that swept 14 opponents throughout the regular season. Heading into the postseason, VanDeList leads the RMAC and ranks 18th nationally in total assists (1,093). Throughout her 95 sets played ahead of the postseason, she is averaged 11.88 assists per set, a mark that led the conference and ranked third in the nation.
Metropolitan State University of Denver head coach Jenny Glenn is the RMAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in her career. She led the Roadrunners to the RMAC regular-season championship for the third consecutive season, earning the No. 1 seed in the RMAC Volleyball Tournament in the process. Under Glenn’s guidance, the Roadrunners enter the postseason ranked No. 7 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll. MSU Denver has never dropped out of the top 10 spots in the AVCA poll throughout the entirety of the 2023 campaign. Glenn’s Roadrunners secured sweeps in 13 of their 21 wins in the regular season.
Of the 28 student-athletes represented on the 2023 RMAC Volleyball All-Conference roster, nine institutions are represented. MSU Denver leads the way with six honorees, three on the first time and three more on the second team. Colorado Mesa and Regis each accounted for five selections apiece, while CSU Pueblo and South Dakota Mines claimed three roster spots each. Colorado Christian and Fort Lewis each boast two all-conference competitors, while Chadron State and Colorado School of Mines complete the roster with one honoree apiece.
RMAC Player of the Year: Sydney Leffler, Colorado Mesa
RMAC Freshman of the Year: Ivy Vindivich, South Dakota Mines
RMAC Defensive Player of the Year: Allison Waller, Colorado Mesa
RMAC Setter of the Year: Sabrina VanDeList, Colorado Mesa
RMAC Coach of the Year: Jenny Glenn, MSU Denver
2023 RMAC Volleyball First Team All-Conference
| Name |
Cl. |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Sydney Leffler |
Jr. |
OH |
Colorado Mesa |
Eaton, Colo. |
| Savannah Spitzer |
R-Sr. |
MH |
Colorado Mesa |
Aurora, Colo. |
| Sabrina VanDeList |
R-Jr. |
S |
Colorado Mesa |
Severance, Colo. |
| Allison Waller |
So. |
L |
Colorado Mesa |
Loveland, Colo. |
| Kendall Harrington |
So. |
OPP |
CSU Pueblo |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Payton Van Veen |
R-So. |
OPP |
CSU Pueblo |
Springfield, Mo. |
| Riley Anderson |
Jr. |
OH |
MSU Denver |
Monument, Colo. |
| Ember Canty |
Sr. |
MB |
MSU Denver |
Sanford, Colo. |
| Rylee Hladky |
Sr. |
OH |
MSU Denver |
Gillette, Wyo. |
| Nadine Burbrink |
Gr. |
MB |
Regis |
Sonthofen, Bavaria, Germany |
| Amelia Davis |
Jr. |
MB |
Regis |
Denver, Colo. |
| Haley Kennedy |
Gr. |
L |
Regis |
Arcadia, Calif. |
| Mara LeGrand |
Gr. |
S |
Regis |
Omaha, Neb. |
| Klaudia Sowizral |
Gr. |
RS |
Regis |
St. Charles, Ill. |
2023 RMAC Volleyball Second Team All-Conference
| Name |
Cl. |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Bella Adams |
So. |
MH |
Chadron State |
Pueblo, Colo. |
| Libby Goodman |
Sr. |
OH |
Colorado Christian |
Castle Pines, Colo. |
| Renee Phillips |
So. |
MH |
Colorado Christian |
Fresno, Calif. |
| Emma Shaddix |
Gr. |
RS |
Colorado Mesa |
Jupiter, Fla. |
| Rose Stuewe |
Sr. |
OH |
Colorado School of Mines |
Fredericksburg, Texas |
| Sadie Scoville |
So. |
OH |
CSU Pueblo |
Pleasant Grove, UT |
| Ella Butler |
So. |
MB |
Fort Lewis |
Chandler, Ariz. |
| Alexis Hobie |
Jr. |
OH |
Fort Lewis |
Eugene, Ore. |
| Mikayla McClinton |
Sr. |
MB |
MSU Denver |
Raytown, Mo. |
| Abbie McCrimmon |
Jr. |
L |
MSU Denver |
Loveland, Colo. |
| Maddy Williams |
Jr. |
RS |
MSU Denver |
Lamar, Colo. |
| Hannah Benes |
So. |
L |
South Dakota Mines |
Antioch, Ill. |
| Alessandra Meoni |
Jr. |
OPP |
South Dakota Mines |
Padova, Italy |
| Ivy Vindivich |
Fr. |
OH |
South Dakota Mines |
Puyallup, Wash. |
2023 RMAC Volleyball Honorable Mention
| Name |
School |
| Cindy Garcia |
Adams State |
| Natalie Gallegos |
Adams State |
| Anna Huggins |
Adams State |
| Abigail Renner |
Black Hills State |
| Haedyn Rhoades |
Black Hills State |
| Mayson Fago |
Chadron State |
| Alondra Hernandez |
Chadron State |
| Izzy Jones |
Colorado Christian |
| Riley Daugherty |
Colorado Mesa |
| Presley Powell |
Colorado School of Mines |
| Golden Finch |
CSU Pueblo |
| Maddox Richtmyre |
CSU Pueblo |
| Natalia Lambos |
Fort Lewis |
| Delaney Eckhardt |
MSU Denver |
| Amela Qershia |
MSU Denver |
| Halle Theis |
Regis |
| Kiley Metzger |
South Dakota Mines |
| Nicole Medlin |
UCCS |
| Maggie Olson |
Western Colorado |
| Seyun Park |
Western Colorado |
| Mailie Myers |
Westminster |
| Olivia Curtis |
Westminster |