Towson's Wonders Headlines 2019 All-CAA Volleyball Teams
RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 21, 2019) – Towson senior setter Marrisa Wonders has been named the 2019 CAA volleyball Player of the Year, headlining the year-end awards the Colonial Athletic Association announced Thursday.
Wonders was also named the 2019 CAA Setter of the Year. Delaware’s Andie Hanus collected CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year honors, while the Tigers’ Lydia Wiers picked up CAA Rookie of the Year. Towson head coach Don Metil was named CAA Coach of the Year.
Wonders was the linchpin of a Towson team that became the first CAA program ever to achieve a 16-0 season. The senior averaged 11.58 assists per set during the regular season to lead the CAA and currently ranks eighth in the country. She has also played a role defensively, ranking second on Towson with 2.83 digs per set. Wonders is the first Towson player to earn CAA Setter of the Year honors since Aubrey Kirven in 2012, and the first Tiger to win CAA Player of the Year since Katy Buck in 2011. She is just the second player to be named CAA Player and Setter of the Year in the same season.
Hanus led Delaware defensively this season, ranking second in the CAA with 447 digs at an average of 4.71 per set. She tallied a season-high 32 digs in a three-set match at UNCW. Her efforts propelled the Blue Hens to their first CAA Tournament appearance since 2016.
Wiers was Towson’s first CAA Rookie of the Year honoree since Jocelyn Kuilan in 2015. She led the CAA and currently ranks sixth in the nation with a .426 hitting percentage. The five-time CAA Rookie of the Week also ranked second in the CAA in blocks with 1.21 per set. She finished the regular season with 231 kills.
Metil led the Tigers to an incredible 16-0 record in CAA play and currently has Towson riding a 20-match win streak going into the CAA Championship. His team played just 96 total sets this season, the fewest number of sets played in the regular season for Towson since joining the CAA for the 2002 season. Metil also earned CAA Coach of the Year honors in 2014 and 2015.
Towson led all CAA teams with three players on the All-CAA First Team, as senior Olivia Finckel joined Wonders and Wiers. James Madison saw two players earn first team honors, with freshman Sophia Davis and senior M’Kaela White each making the team. Northeastern’s Athena Ardila, Delaware’s Maria Bellinger, Elon’s Leah Daniel, and Hofstra’s Laura Masciullo rounded out the All-CAA First Team.
| 2019 CAA Volleyball First Team |
| Player, School |
Position |
Class |
Hometown |
| Athena Ardila, Northeastern |
OH |
Jr. |
Weston, Mass. |
| Maria Bellinger, Delaware |
OH |
Sr. |
Paramus, N.J. |
| Leah Daniel, Elon |
OH/RS |
So. |
Zionsville, Ind. |
| Sophia Davis, James Madison |
MH |
Fr. |
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| Olivia Finckel, Towson |
OH |
Sr. |
Baltimore, Md. |
| Laura Masciullo, Hofstra |
OH |
Sr. |
La Spezia, Italy |
| M’Kaela White, James Madison |
MB |
Sr. |
Riverdale, Md. |
| Lydia Wiers, Towson |
MB |
Fr. |
Willard, Ohio |
| Marrisa Wonders, Towson |
S |
Sr. |
Mount Joy, Pa. |
2019 CAA Volleyball Second Team |
| Player, School |
Position |
Class |
Hometown |
| Kendall Bender, UNCW |
MB |
Sr. |
Charlotte, N.C. |
| Briley Brind’Amour, James Madison |
OH |
Sr. |
Wake Forest, N.C. |
| Silvia Grassini, Towson |
MB |
Sr. |
Padua, Italy |
| Andie Hanus, Delaware |
DS/L |
Sr. |
Omaha, Neb. |
| Emily Jarome, Towson |
OH |
So. |
Wilmington, Del. |
| Logan Manusky, Charleston |
DS |
Jr. |
San Diego, Calif. |
| Sarah Martin, James Madison |
S |
Sr. |
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| Natalie Shollin, Northeastern |
MB |
Sr. |
Corona, Calif. |
| Luisa Sydlik, Hofstra |
S |
Sr. |
Berlin, Germany |
| Juliana Vaz, Hofstra |
L |
Jr. |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 2019 CAA Player of the Year: Marrisa Wonders, Towson |
| 2019 CAA Setter of the Year: Marrisa Wonders, Towson |
| 2019 CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year: Andie Hanus, Delaware |
| 2019 CAA Rookie of the Year: Lydia Wiers, Towson |
| 2019 CAA Coach of the Year: Don Metil, Towson |
| 2019 CAA Volleyball All-Rookie Team |
| Player, School |
Position |
Class |
Hometown |
| Ezgi Basaranlar, Delaware |
S |
Fr. |
Istanbul, Turkey |
| Athina Dimitriadis, Hofstra |
MB |
Fr. |
Berlin, Germany |
| Sophia Davis, James Madison |
MH |
Fr. |
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| Danielle Nathan, James Madison |
OH |
Fr. |
Wilmington, Del. |
| Erica Staunton, Northeastern |
OPP/OH |
Fr. |
Orland Park, Ill. |
| Lydia Wiers, Towson |
MB |
Fr. |
Willard, Ohio |