Four Programs Collect Major Awards in 2023 CAA Volleyball Year-End Honors
Hunter Peters
RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 15, 2023) – Four programs collected major awards in the reveal of the 2023 CAA Volleyball year-end honors, headlined by Towson outside hitter
Nina Cajic garnering CAA Player of the Year accolades. The all-conference awards and teams are voted on by the league’s 12 head coaches.
In addition, Stony Brook senior Torri Henry was named CAA Setter of the Year, and Charleston junior Tynley Smeltzer earned CAA Libero of the Year honors. North Carolina A&T freshman outside hitter Kaili Doctor received the distinction of CAA Rookie of the Year, and Towson’s Don Metil was tabbed as the CAA Coach of the Year by his peers.
Cajic becomes the fourth CAA Player of the Year in Towson program history and first since 2019. The senior outside hitter was the only player in the conference to record over 3.00 kills per set while posting a hitting percentage over .300. Cajic totaled 419.5 points (4.24/set), 353 kills (3.53/set), 40 service aces (0.40/set) and 201 digs (2.03/set) this season. The Subotica, Serbia native ranked third in the CAA in points and kills per set while ranking ninth with a .324 hitting percentage. Cajic reached double-digit kills in 21 matches this season and recorded six double-doubles.
Henry is the second major award winner for the Seawolves in as many seasons, joining Kali Moore, the Rookie of the Year last fall. The senior setter leads the CAA and ranks 11th nationally with 10.76 assists per set. Henry accumulated 1,119 assists this season, including a league-best 754 in CAA play. She recorded at least 20 assists in every match this fall and tallied 40 or more 11 times, with a single-match conference-high 61 assists on September 30. Additionally, Henry contributed 17 double-doubles, racking up 292 digs and 2.81 digs per set.
Smeltzer came on strong in CAA play, recording a league-best 343 digs and 5.04 digs per set in conference action. On the year, the junior libero totaled 412 digs (3.96/set) to rank third in the CAA and posted a .943 reception percentage. Smeltzer tallied double-digit digs in all 18 conference matchups and 19 times this season, including 20 or more on eight occasions. Smeltzer joins Chandler Manusky (2019) and Andi Zbojniewicz (2014) as the third Cougar to earn CAA Defensive Specialist or Libero of the Year honors.
Doctor makes history for the Aggies, becoming North Carolina A&T’s first CAA Volleyball major award winner in program history. The freshman outside hitter totaled 238 kills on a .217 hitting percentage, adding 86 digs and 30 blocks. Doctor averaged 2.53 kills per set, ranking top-20 in the league, and recorded 10 or more kills in 11 matches this season with two double-doubles.
Metil earns coach of the year honors for the second consecutive season and the fifth time during his tenure. He becomes the second coach in league history to claim the award at least five times. Metil led the Tigers to a 16-2 mark in CAA play to capture Towson’s fourth straight CAA Regular Season title. The Tigers topped the conference in all but two statistical categories, ranking first in hitting percentage (.295), kills per set (14.07), assists per set (13.04), blocks per set (2.55) and opponent hitting percentage (.152). Towson finished the regular season on a 10-match winning streak en route to its fourth 20-win season in the past five years.
Cajic was accompanied on the First Team All-CAA by her teammate Victoria Barrett to represent Towson. Campbell also had two First Team All-CAA selections, with Chloe Cook and Melody Paige collecting honors. In addition, Henry and Smeltzer were pegged on the First Team All-CAA, along with Hofstra’s Beatriz Alves, Delaware’s Lani Mason and Naiya Sawtelle from North Carolina A&T, rounding out the squad.
Overall, 10 teams had at least one student-athlete earn all-conference accolades, with eight programs having multiple honorees. Towson and Delaware led the way with four players recognized, while Campbell and Stony Brook had three each.
First Team All-CAA
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Beatriz Alves |
Hofstra |
Jr. |
S |
São José dos Campos, Brazil |
| Victoria Barrett |
Towson |
Jr. |
OH |
Stafford, Va. |
| Nina Cajic |
Towson |
Sr. |
OH |
Subotica, Serbia |
| Chloe Cook |
Campbell |
Sr. |
OH |
Nacogdoches, Texas |
| Torri Henry |
Stony Brook |
Sr. |
S |
Belton, Mo. |
| Lani Mason |
Delaware |
Gr. |
OH |
Chester, Va. |
| Melody Paige |
Campbell |
Fifth |
MB |
Lancaster, Calif. |
| Naiya Sawtelle |
North Carolina A&T |
Jr. |
OH |
Stuart, Fla. |
| Tynley Smeltzer |
Charleston |
Jr. |
DS/L |
Savannah, Ga. |
Second Team All-CAA
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Ezgi Basaranlar |
Delaware |
Gr. |
S |
Istanbul, Turkey |
| Olivia Esposito |
William & Mary |
So. |
MB |
Carversville, Pa. |
| Claranne Fechter |
Campbell |
Sr. |
DS/L |
Powell, Ohio |
| Kirah Johnson |
Delaware |
Sr. |
MB |
Centreville, Va. |
| Leoni Kunz |
Stony Brook |
Sr. |
OH |
Knoxville, Tenn. |
| Irbe Lazda |
Towson |
R-Jr. |
OH |
Marupe, Latvia |
| Aayinde Smith |
Towson |
Sr. |
MB |
Garland, Texas |
| Lexi Wierzbicki |
Charleston |
Gr. |
OH |
Easley, S.C. |
| Anabel Zier |
Northeastern |
Gr. |
MB |
Blacksburg, Va. |
2023 CAA Player of the Year: Nina Cajic, Towson
2023 CAA Setter of the Year: Torri Henry, Stony Brook
2023 CAA Libero of the Year: Tynley Smeltzer, Charleston
2023 CAA Rookie of the Year: Kaili Doctor, North Carolina A&T
2023 CAA Coach of the Year: Don Metil, Towson
CAA All-Rookie Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Beatriz Braga |
Hofstra |
Fr. |
OH |
Uberlândia, Brazil |
| Kaili Doctor |
North Carolina A&T |
Fr. |
OH |
Mars, Pa. |
| Ava Jackson |
Stony Brook |
Fr. |
OH |
Lexington, Ky. |
| Jessica Parker |
Elon |
Fr. |
S |
Winfield, Ill. |
| Abby Reck |
Northeastern |
Fr. |
OH |
Northville, Mich. |
| Gha’Naye Whitfield-Moss |
Delaware |
Fr. |
MB/RS |
Bessemer, Ala. |
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