COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Metropolitan State University of Denver’s outside hitter Riley Anderson is the 2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Year, the league announced Thursday along with the league’s other major award winners and All-RMAC rosters.

South Dakota Mines’ Hannah Benes and Lauren Prochazka earned Defensive Player and Coach of the Year honors, respectively. In addition, Colorado State University Pueblo’s Kaitlyn Hall was named Freshman of the Year. Rounding out the 2024 major award winners is Colorado Mesa’s Sabrina VanDeList, who won the Setter of the Year award for the second time in her career.
The All-RMAC teams and awards are selected and voted on by the league’s 15 head coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their players.

After a standout season for the Roadrunners, Anderson earned her first Player of the Year honor. The senior led her team to an impressive 25-2 overall record, including a flawless 14-0 mark in conference play. Throughout the season, Anderson and the Roadrunners were among the most efficient teams in NCAA Division II, ranking fourth in the nation with a stellar .295 hitting percentage. The Monument, Colorado native’s high level of play helped keep MSU Denver ranked among the top two teams in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) rankings for much of the season. Anderson’s remarkable individual performance includes 375 points, 319 kills, 154 digs, and 60 blocks.

Benes earns the Defensive Player of the Year award following the best season in program history. The Hardrockers finished the season with an 18-8 record, earning the No. 3 seed in the 2024 RMAC Volleyball Tournament. On the court, Benes led the conference in service aces (55, 0.54 per set) and digs (500, 4.90 per set). Benes was one of three players to earn multiple RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors during the 2024 regular season.

Hall, a redshirt freshman from Colorado Springs, Colorado, helped the ThunderWolves reach an overall record of 16-11, earning the fifth seed in the RMAC Volleyball Tournament. In her debut season for the Pack, Hall played in all 27 matches, totaling 774.5 points, 248 kills (.273), and 50 digs. With the help of Hall, CSU Pueblo finished their season with the fourth-best hitting percentage in the RMAC (.227).

VanDeList continued to make her mark in the RMAC throughout the 2024 regular season, earning her second Setter of the Year award. The Severance, Colorado native won four RMAC Setter of the Week honors during the season, giving her 18 during her Colorado Mesa career. She leads the league in assists (1140/11.88) and ranks second in service aces (42/.44). VanDeList’s 1,140 assists are the ninth most in NCAA DII this season, while her 11.88 assists per set are the fifth best. Colorado Mesa spent the 2024 season ranked in the AVCA’s Top 25, reaching their highest ranking at No. 12 in Week 12.  

Prochazka is the RMAC Coach of the Year for the first time after guiding her squad to the best season in program history at 18-8 overall and 11-3 in RMAC play. During the regular season, she coached her team to a perfect 9-0 record at home, pushing the Hardrockers to the No. 3 seed in the RMAC Tournament. Under her direction, South Dakota Mines earned three All-RMAC selections this year and two honorable mentions.

Of the 28 student-athletes represented on the 2024 Volleyball All-RMAC rosters, 11 institutions are represented. MSU Denver leads the way with six total roster spots, while Colorado Mesa trails closely behind with four. Colorado Christian also checks in with four honorees, all earning second-team distinctions. South Dakota Mines and Regis follow with three honorees a piece, while Adams State and CSU Pueblo each earned two roster spots. Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Western Colorado, and Westminster round out the represented institutions with one roster spot each.

2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Volleyball Award Winners

RMAC Player of the Year: Riley Anderson, MSU Denver
Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Benes, South Dakota Mines
Freshman of the Year: Kaitlyn Hall, CSU Pueblo
Setter of the Year: Sabrina VanDeList, Colorado Mesa
Coach of the Year: Lauren Prochazka, South Dakota Mines