The inaugural OCCAC Student-Athlete Leadership Conference was hosted by Cuyahoga Community College earlier this month. Student-athletes from around the conference gathered for a day full of opportunities to elevate their leadership skills. In total, more than 45 student-athletes, coaches and administrators from across the state listened to speakers on a multitude of topics.
Five different schools are represented on the ’23 All-OCCAC Volleyball Teams. Edison State and Owens combined to sweep the First Team slots and annual awards. Lindsey Koenig, a freshman from Minster, Ohio, earned the conference’s Player of the Year recognition.
Lindsey Koenig was a unanimous decision once again as the OCCAC Player of the Week for Oct. 16-22, the final regular season week for most of the conference. She now owns three of the 10 weekly accolades issued in 2023.
Arianna Cydrus and the Eagles of Clark State went on the road to capture a pair of conference wins during the week of Sept. 25-Oct. 1, leading to Cydrus earning OCCAC Player of the Week honors.
Taylor Lessing steered Edison State Volleyball to a 4-0 week, dishing out 150 assists and averaging nearly three digs per set. The sophomore setter added eight kills, six aces and three blocks to her 10 assists/set performance as the Chargers handed four non-conference foes an “L.”
Lindsey Koening and the Owens Volleyball team are riding a 6-match winning streak, including sweeps over conference foes Terra State and Clark State during the week of Sept. 11-17. Koening’s performance in those two victories have led to OCCAC Player of the Week recognition.
Nilaysia Todd was a force in the middle during two league matches for Lorain County Volleyball, accumulating 21 kills and nine blocks (five solo) in eight sets played on the road. Those totals equated to per set averages of 2.63 kills and 1.13 blocks while she also adding 1.63 digs/set.
Brooklyn Bourne and the Edison State volleyball team won three of four matches last week versus teams from the state of Michigan. The freshman outside hitter was very effective both offensively (4.00 kills/set) and defensively (3.21 digs/set) en route to picking up OCCAC Volleyball Player of the Week distinction.
Kaitlynn Minarik logged 14 sets as a 6-rotation player for the Lakeland Lakers this week, scattering numbers all over the stat sheet and earning OCCAC Volleyball Player of the Week distinction.
Graceanne Slade, a sophomore middle for Edison State, lifted the Chargers to a pair of conference wins during the 2023 campaign’s opening week. She averaged four points and nearly two digs per set in victories over Clark State and Lorain County.