CORTLAND, N.Y. - The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) releases its 2019 Women's Volleyball Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and the All-Conference teams as voted on by the conference coaches.

Player of the Year: Grace Cergol, Geneseo

Grace Cergol led her team on offense this season at the outside hitter position. The East Northport native is ranked No. 1 in the conference with 375 total kills this season and an average of 3.41 kills per set. Cergol's dominance propelled Geneseo to the No. 1 seed going into the SUNYAC championship. The Knights advanced to the SUNYAC championship, but lost to Brockport, 3-1. Cergol was named to the 2019 All-Tournament team as Geneseo ended the season 18-12 overall. 

Defensive Player of the Year: Sam Mendelsohn, Geneseo

Sam Mendelsohn, a defensive specialist for Geneseo, is the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year. Mendelsohn totaled 556 digs (No. 3 in conference) on the season and averaged 5.05 per set, which is ranked second in the conference. Mendelsohn was the anchor to the Geneseo backline and with her defensive talents, brought the Knights all the way to the SUNYAC conference championship match. Mendelsohn had just three errors on the season, exhibiting her talent and precision. She was named to the All-Tournament team after Geneseo lost to Brockport in the SUNYAC championship, 3-1.

Rookie of the Year: Carly Haegele, Cortland

Haegele played 122 sets in her rookie season. Although Haegele didn't start any matches this season, her impact on the court was obvious. Haegele totaled 104 assists on the season averaging .85 assists per set. The Commack native averaged 4.73 digs a set and ended the season with 577 in total. In her first year, Haegele and the Red Dragons were just two set wins away from making the SUNYAC conference championship match. Their season ended against the eventual 2019 SUNYAC champions the Brockport Golden Eagles in the semifinals, 3-1.

Coach of the Year: Steve Pike, Brockport

The Brockport Golden Eagles won their eighth SUNYAC volleyball championship under head coach Steve Pike. Brockport is 19-10 overall after winning 10 straight matches. The Golden Eagles entered the SUNYAC tournament at the No. 2 seed after going 7-2 in conference play. They defeated No. 3 Cortland, 3-1, and then topped No. 1 Geneseo, 3-1, to take home the title. As a team, Brockport averaged 11.51 kills per set, 10.78 assists per set, 1.73 blocks per set, 2.27 service aces per set (led the SUNYAC) and 17.09 digs per set. Pike and the Golden Eagles will go on to play Welleseley College in the first round in the NCAA tournament on Friday.

2019 Women's Volleyball All-Conference Teams (Click here for PDF)