BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Bucknell received three of this year's five Patriot League Women’s Volleyball major awards when the League office announced its postseason honors on Monday afternoon. American and Colgate each received one honor.
Colgate sophomore outside hitter Milan Bayless was named the Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year after guiding the Raiders to the regular-season title.
Bucknell junior Caleigh O’Connell received Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Setter of the Year honors, while teammate and senior Jordan Hardy collected Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Libero of the Year for the second consecutive season.
American freshman Zedo Yilmaz earned the Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Rookie of the Year award after garnering six Rookie of the Week honors during the regular season.
After guiding the Bison to a program record for League wins (13) and the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Championships, Bucknell head coach Tyler Hagstrom was named the Patriot League Barry Goldberg Coach of the Year for the first time.
Twelve student-athletes were named to the All-Patriot League first team, while 10 student-athletes made the second team. Bucknell led the way with five All-League sections, while Army West Point and Colgate had four members on the All-League teams. American and Lehigh placed three student-athletes on the All-League teams, followed by Loyola Maryland (2) and Navy (1).
The major awards and All-Patriot League teams were voted on by the nine Patriot League women's volleyball head coaches, who could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
2024 Patriot League Player of the Year
Milan Bayless, Colgate, So., OH, La Mesa, Calif./Cathedral Catholic
*Bayless ended the regular season ranking fourth in the Patriot League in points (355.5), points per set (3.82) and kills per set (3.34), as well as fifth in kills (311).
*The sophomore outside hitter was tabbed Patriot League Player of the Week on Sept. 24 and notched 20 matches with double-digit kills.
*The La Mesa, Calif. native is the sixth Colgate student-athlete to earn Player of the Year honors, joining Vicky Chun (1991), Becca Galves (1992), Diane Seely (2013), Alli Lowe (2019, 20-21) and Julia Kurowski (2022).
2024 Patriot League Setter of the Year
Caleigh O’Connell, Bucknell, Jr., S, Bedford, N.H./Bedford
*O’Connell concluded the regular season leading the Patriot League in assists per set (10.00), while ranking second in total assists (870).
*The junior dished out double-digit assists in all 25 matches for Bucknell.
2024 Patriot League Libero of the Year
Jordan Hardy, Bucknell, Sr., L, Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Preparatory School
*Hardy, the two-time Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Libero of the Year, finished the regular season leading the Patriot League in digs (452) and digs per set (5.20). Her 5.20 digs per set ranks 10th in NCAA Division I.
*The Winter Park, Fla. native earned Player of the Week honors on Sept. 10 after setting the Bucknell program record for career digs.
*The senior was selected to the First Team All-Patriot League in 2023 and was a Second-Team honoree in 2022.
2024 Patriot League Rookie of the Year
Zedo Yilmaz, American, Fr., OH, Istanbul, Turkey/Kemerburgaz Okyanus
*Yilmaz ended her 2024 campaign leading the Patriot League in points (426) and kills (364), while ranking second in aces (36) and points per set (3.91).
*The freshman also recorded 310 digs and 48 blocks.
*The Istanbul, Turkey native is the ninth American University student-athlete to earn Rookie of the Year honors. She earned six Rookie of the Week awards during the regular season.
2024 Patriot League Barry Goldberg Coach of the Year
Tyler Hagstrom, Bucknell
*Hagstrom guided the Bison to a program-record 13 League wins and the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Championships.
*Hagstrom is Bucknell’s first Coach of the Year since 2003 (Cindy Opalski) and holds an overall record of 59-47 in five seasons.
2024 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Major Award Winners
Player of the Year: Milan Bayless, Colgate, So., OH
Setter of the Year: Caleigh O’Connell, Bucknell, Jr., S
Libero of the Year: Jordan Hardy, Bucknell, Sr., L
Rookie of the Year: Zedo Yilmaz, American, Fr., OH
The Barry Goldberg Coach of the Year: Tyler Hagstrom, Bucknell
First Team*
Esma Sipahi, American, Sr., S
Lilou Stegeman, American, Sr., MB
Zedo Yilmaz, American, Fr., OH
Mackenzie Lynch, Army West Point, Jr., OH
Kingsley Wallace, Army West Point, Sr., RS
Bri Frazilus, Bucknell, Jr., OH
Jordan Hardy, Bucknell, Sr., L
Caleigh O’Connell, Bucknell, Jr., S
Sidney Shaffer, Bucknell, So., MB
Milan Bayless, Colgate, So., OH
Abby Shadwick, Colgate, Sr., OH
Emily Stewart, Lehigh, Sr., MB
Second Team
Juliette Myrick, Army West Point, So., S
Chloe Murakami, Army West Point, Jr., OH
Tijana Kostic, Bucknell, Jr., OPP
Sydney Jones, Colgate, Sr., S
Tiana Owens, Colgate, Fr., RS
Kyleigh Brown, Lehigh, Sr., L
Natalie Luscomb, Lehigh, Jr., RS
Lauren Link, Loyola Maryland, Gr., OH
Kacy Sekunda, Loyola Maryland, Sr., S/OPP
Farrah Eike, Navy, Fr., OH
Note: Student-athletes are listed alphabetically by institution
*Due to a tie in voting, there are 12 members on the first team.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.