NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference announced its annual volleyball All-Conference and major award winners Friday, preceding the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship presented by JEEP, slated for Nov. 22-23 in Milwaukee. Creighton outside hitter Ava Martin highlighted the annual awards, unanimously earning BIG EAST Player of the Year recognition.
Fellow Bluejay Annalea Maeder was named Setter of the Year. St. John’s Rashanny Solano Smith was voted Libero of the Year. Kendall Timme (DePaul) and Isabela Haggard (Marquette) shared Freshman of the Year recognition. Xavier, led by head coach Christy Pfeffenberger, earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
Martin, the 2025 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, led the league in kills (4.52/set) and points (5.16/set), while hitting .376 in conference play to bring the top award back to Omaha for the fourth consecutive season. Additionally, the senior averaged 1.83 digs and 0.50 aces per set as the Bluejays enjoyed an undefeated BIG EAST regular season for the second straight year. Hitting .318 in the complete 28 match regular season, the five-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week (9.22, 10.6, 10.27, 11.3, 11.10) ranks second overall in kills (4.28/set) and points (4.88), as well as third in aces (0.45/set).
Maeder made an immediate impact in her first BIG EAST campaign, leading the conference in assists (10.81/set) while setting the 12th-ranked Bluejays to a league-best .349 team-hitting percentage. The seven-time BIG EAST Setter of the Week (9.15, 9.29, 10.13, 10.20, 10.27, 11.10, 11.17) also ranked third in aces (0.60/set), in addition to averaging 2.38 digs, 1.10 kills, and 0.40 blocks per set in conference play.
Solano Smith ranked second in the BIG EAST with 4.52 digs per set against conference competition. Additionally, she averaged 1.13 assists per set. The junior was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 3.
Timme powered DePaul’s offense and led the league’s rookies in kills (3.29/set), points (4.01/set), and aces (0.45/set). Additionally, the freshman averaged 2.53 digs and 0.50 blocks per set while appearing in all 58 conference sets for the Blue Demons. Timme was recognized as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 29 and BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Oct. 13.
Haggard directed the Golden Eagles’ offense in her rookie season, registering 8.38 assists per set to lead the league’s freshmen. Her efforts paced Marquette to a .257 in-conference hitting percentage, good for second in the league, while appearing in all 16 BIG EAST matches. Additionally, the setter averaged 2.36 digs, 0.79 kills, and 0.55 blocks per set. Haggard was named the BIG EAST Setter of the Week on Sept. 22.
Pfeffenberger, assistant coach Lainey Stephenson, and graduate assistant Zoe Conway led Xavier to the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Championship for the first time in program history. The Musketeers amassed 25 wins to match their program-best mark set in 2001 while collecting a team-best 14-2 record in BIG EAST play. Overall, Pfeffenberger’s squad led the league in digs (14.79/set) while ranking second in opponent hitting percentage (.179) and third in kills (13.37/set), assists (11.97/set), and hitting percentage (.252). In conference play, Xavier ranked first in digs (14.66/set), second in kills (13.15/set), and third in assists (12.14/set), hitting percentage (.246), and opponent hitting percentage (.181).
In addition to the major awards, the BIG EAST recognized an 18-person All-Conference team and a six-athlete All-Freshman squad. Creighton led the way with four All-Conference honorees, followed by Marquette and Xavier with three each. UConn, St. John’s, and Villanova picked up two recognitions apiece, followed by DePaul and Providence with one each.
Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Villanova, and Xavier were each represented on the All-Freshman team once.
Creighton’s Martin and Maeder were joined on the All-BIG EAST team by Kiara Reinhardt and Jaya Johnson. Teammate Abbey Hayes earned All-Freshman recognition. Martin, Maeder, and Reinhardt were unanimous selections.
Marquette was represented on the All-BIG EAST squad by unanimous honorees Hattie Bray and Natalie Ring. Haggard earned both All-Conference and All-Freshman recognition.
Xavier’s Emma Grace, Macy Hatkevich, and Anna Taylor picked up All-Conference accolades with Grace doing so unanimously. Fellow Musketeer McKinley Boehm earned All-Freshman accolades.
St. John’s Solano Smith was joined on the All-Conference squad by unanimous pick Erin Jones. UConn’s Emma Werkmeister was a unanimous All-BIG EAST selection. She was joined by fellow Husky, Doga Kutlu. Villanova garnered two unanimous All-Conference selections in Abby Harrell and Campbell McKinnon while Reagan McGivern represented the Wildcats on the All-Freshman squad.
DePaul’s Timme was elected to both the All-Conference and All-Freshman squads. Providence’s Hadley Pride earned a place on the All-Conference team, while Georgetown’s Samantha Soderlund was a unanimous All-Freshman selection.
The All-BIG EAST team, All-Freshman team and major awards were voted upon by the league’s 11 head coaches. Coaches could not cast ballots for their team or players. Unanimous selections appeared on all ten eligible ballots.
See below for a complete listing of the award winners.
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
BIG EAST Setter of the Year: Annalea Maeder, Sr., S, Creighton
BIG EAST Libero of the Year: Rashanny Solano Smith, Jr., L, St. John’s
BIG EAST Co-Freshmen of the Year: Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul & Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: Xavier (Christy Pfeffenberger)
All-BIG EAST
Doga Kutlu, Gr., S, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Sr., OH, UConn*
Jaya Johnson, So., RS, Creighton
Annalea Maeder, Sr., S, Creighton*
Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MB, Creighton*
Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul
Hattie Bray, Gr., MB, Marquette*
Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
Natalie Ring, Sr., OH, Marquette*
Hadley Pride, RS-Sr., L, Providence
Erin Jones, Sr., S/OPP, St. John’s*
Rashanny Solano Smith, Jr., L, St. John’s
Abby Harrell, Jr., OH, Villanova*
Campbell McKinnon, So., MB, Villanova*
Emma Grace, RS-Sr., OH, Xavier*
Macy Hatkevich, Jr., S, Xavier
Anna Taylor, RS-Sr., RS, Xavier
All-Freshman
Abbey Hayes, Fr., OH, Creighton
Kendall Timme, Fr., OH, DePaul*
Samantha Soderlund, Fr., OH, Georgetown*
Isabela Haggard, Fr., S, Marquette
Reagan McGivern, Fr., MB, Villanova
McKinley Boehm, RS-Fr., MB, Xavier
*Denotes unanimous selection