ATLANTA, Ga. (November 11, 2025) - The Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) has announced its 2025 women’s volleyball all-conference awards, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Maryville’s Kylie Wilhelmi was named Player of the Year, while Asbury’s Riley McChord earned Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
LaGrange’s Julia Damico collected Setter of the Year honors, and Maryville’s Ruby Walton was tabbed Freshman of the Year after a breakout rookie campaign.
Asbury head coach Tiffany Horton was voted Coach of the Year for the second straight season after guiding the Eagles to another dominant run through conference play.
Player of the Year | Kylie Wilhelmi, Maryville
A consistent offensive powerhouse for the Scots, Kylie Wilhelmi delivered one of the most productive seasons in CCS history. Playing in 110 sets across 30 matches, Wilhelmi totaled 464 kills for an impressive 4.21 kills per set, while also adding 34 service aces, 19 assists, 334 digs, and 27 blocks for 514.5 total points.
Wilhelmi leads the CCS in kills and total points, ranks third in hitting percentage, and sits ninth in digs, showcasing her all-around impact. On the national stage, she stands fourth in Division III in total kills and third in total points.
Defensive Player of the Year | Riley McChord, Asbury
For the second year in a row, Riley McChord proved to be the defensive heartbeat of Asbury’s backrow. The senior libero anchored the Eagles’ defense with 376 total digs across 79 sets, averaging 4.76 per set—second-best in the CCS—while boasting a .951 receiving percentage with just 13 errors all season.
McChord contributed across the board with 70 assists, 25 service aces, and 20 double-digit dig performances, including eight matches of 20-plus digs and a career-high 31-dig outing against Hanover. She surpassed the 1,400-career dig milestone, helping lead Asbury to its second straight CCS Regular Season Championship.
Setter of the Year | Julia Damico, LaGrange
Only two years into her collegiate career, Julia Damico has already become the centerpiece of LaGrange’s offense. The sophomore setter ranks second in the CCS in assists per set (5.67) and surpassed the 1,000-career assist mark this season. Damico’s consistency extends to the defensive end, where she ranks eighth in the league in digs per set (3.05), reflecting her leadership on the court for the Panthers.
Freshman of the Year | Ruby Walton, Maryville
Ruby Walton made an immediate impact in her first season, establishing herself as one of the most versatile middle blockers in the CCS. Across 110 sets, Walton posted 275 kills, 72 digs, 63 service aces, and 44 blocks for 365.5 total points. She leads the CCS in both hitting percentage (.358) and service aces (.59 per set), while ranking sixth in kills and third in total points.
Coach of the Year | Tiffany Horton, Asbury
For the second consecutive year, Tiffany Horton has been named CCS Coach of the Year after guiding Asbury to a 15-1 conference record and its second straight CCS Regular Season Championship. Under Horton’s direction, the Eagles have been dominant on both sides of the net—leading the conference in kills (12.33 per set) and holding opponents to a.100 hitting percentage.
Asbury closed the regular season by winning 33 of its final 34 sets during an 11-match win streak, marking a 30-2 record in regular season play through their first two years in the conference.
Asbury led all programs with five all-conference selections, followed by Maryville with four. Belhaven and LaGrange? each earned three honorees, while Covenant and Huntingdon collected two apiece. Piedmont rounded out the list with one selection.
Tournament play begins on Tuesday, November 11, with two exciting opening-round matchups. No. 3 seed Covenant will host No. 6 seed Belhaven in the tournament’s first contest, while No. 4 seed LaGrange welcomes No. 5 seed Huntingdon in the second match of the day.
The top two seeds received first-round byes and will open play in the semifinal round on Friday, November 14. No. 1 seed Asbury will face the winner of the LaGrange–Huntingdon matchup, while No. 2 seed Maryville will meet the winner of Covenant–Belhaven. The tournament will culminate with the championship match on Saturday, November 15, when the league’s top two teams battle for the 2025 CCS title and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship.
2025 CCS WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL SUPERLATIVE AWARDS
Offensive Player of the Year: Kylie Wilhelmi, Maryville
Defensive Player of the Year: Riley McChord, Asbury
Setter of the Year: Julia Damico, LaGrange
Freshman of the Year: Ruby Walton, Maryville
Coach of the Year: Tiffany Horton, Asbury
2025 CCS WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
| First Team |
| Kylie Wilhelmi |
Maryville |
| Isabelle VandeSchraaf |
Asbury |
| Cali Sandhoff |
Covenant |
| Riley McChord |
Asbury |
| Ruby Walton |
Maryville |
| Sidney Haysley |
Asbury |
| Alex Krabs |
LaGrange |
| Julia Damico |
LaGrange |
| Lucy Kate Gray |
Asbury |
| Cailin Mastropasqua |
Maryville |
| Second Team |
| Abigail Bruner |
Asbury |
| Rylee White |
Belhaven |
| Morgan Suggs |
Huntingdon |
| Molly Wilson |
Huntingdon |
| Megan LaCour |
Belhaven |
| Zoe Coelho |
Piedmont |
| Kennedy Barber |
Covenant |
| Kaitlyn Smith |
LaGrange |
| Dakota Vaiese |
Maryville |
| Kayla Robinson |
Belhaven |
2025 CCS WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
| Paige Ford |
Agnes Scott |
| Lauran Barber |
Asbury |
| Madison Butler |
Belhaven |
| Amber Snook |
Covenant |
| Aly Harris |
Huntingdon |
| Zentrina Choice |
LaGrange |
| Ava George Wilber |
Maryville |
| Alex Wingate |
Piedmont |
| |
Wesleyan |
ABOUT THE COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE OF THE SOUTH (CCS)
The CCS is an NCAA Division III athletic conference that began play during the 2022-23 academic year. The conference features nine member institutions (Agnes Scott College, Asbury University, Belhaven University, Covenant College, Huntingdon College, LaGrange College, Maryville College, Piedmont University, and Wesleyan College) and sponsors championships across 14 sports. In addition to sharing the member institutions' geographic identity, the name 'Collegiate Conference of the South' is indicative of a shared commitment to academic excellence, which is commensurate with the NCAA Division III philosophy.