BEVERLY, Mass. – After a season that saw the Wentworth Institute of Technology win both the Commonwealth Coast Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships and earn a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament, several members of the program were honored by the CCC when the conference released its all-conference teams and major award winners on Thursday afternoon.
Freshman opposite hitter Emma Sanders (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) was named both the 2023 CCC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year and earned First Team All-CCC honors, while her teammate, graduate student middle hitter Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.) earned CCC Scholar-Athlete honors and a spot on the All-CCC third team. Head coach Nick Baldecchi earned CCC Coach of the Year honors.
Freshmen outside hitter Kate McLane (Columbus, Ohio) and setter Olivia Vaughn (Bolingbrook, Ill.) earned their respective places on the all-conference second team. After being named CCC Rookie of the Year a season ago, sophomore Riley Schoonmaker (Montgomery, N.Y.) earned all-conference third team honors alongside Waggoner and sophomore libero Amanda Zweifler (Jersey City, N.J.).
Endicott's junior Emma Ruel (Duxbury, Mass.) was named CCC Libero of the Year while Curry was awarded the team sportsmanship award.
Sanders led the league in kills per set with 3.82, smashing a team-high 294 finishes in 77 sets and had a hitting percentage of .276. The rookie also notched 221 digs, dwindled in with eight double-doubles, along with 43 service aces and 49 total blocks. Sanders set the all-time record for most kills in any given match with 26 in a five-set win over Roger Williams back on October 21. Throughout her rookie season, the opposite hitter was named CCC Player of the Week twice and CCC Rookie of the Week three times.
Waggoner hauled in CCC Scholar-Athlete honors by leading the Leopards on and off the court along with pursuing her Master's degree in Architecture. The middle hitter compiled 118 kills at a .250 rate this season to go along with 45 total blocks. Waggoner's selection to the All-CCC team marks the third consecutive season she has been recognized by the league, having earned a spot on the second team in 2021 and 2022. She completed her career with 602 kills, a .298 hitting percentage, 135 digs, 30 service aces, and 179 total blocks.
Baldecchi earns conference coach of the year honors after the Black & Gold ran the table in CCC play (8-0), while posting the second-most wins (23) in program history. Wentworth captured its second CCC title and made its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Heading into the tournament, the Leopards matched their longest win streak in program history, winning 15 straight matches from September 30 until November 16.
McLane – another threat in the Black & Gold's potent offense – recorded 283 kills in 84 sets at a .249 clip. The rookie led the Leopards with 45 service aces and tacked on 207 digs and 20 total blocks.
Vaughn was a catalyst for Wentworth's offense, thriving as the team's setter with 755 assists across 78 sets played. She also chipped in with 158 digs and 30 service aces. Vaughn set the all-time record for most assists in any given match with 55 in the Leopards' 3-2 edge over Roger Williams on October 21 and was named the conference's player of the week once and rookie of the week twice.
Schoonmaker earned herself all-league recognition after totaling 99 kills at a .234 clip and 62 total blocks in 88 sets of play. Last season's conference rookie of the year boosted her career numbers to 215 kills, 111 total blocks, and a hitting percentage of .257 following a productive 2023 season.
Zweifler made her mark as one of the top liberos in the CCC, making the all-conference third team after posting 309 digs and 44 service aces across 93 sets. She was named CCC Player of the Week once and CCC Libero of the Week twice.
Wentworth finished the season with a 23-6 record. Wentworth's CCC title and NCAA appearance were the program's first since the 2018 season.
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