INDIANAPOLIS – As the Northern Kentucky women's volleyball program prepares for its upcoming run in the conference championships, Joy Banks, Abby Kanakry, Anna Burke and Ava Hoying all earned #HLVB post season honors as the Horizon League announced its yearly award winners on Thursday.
 
Both Banks and Kanakry were named to the Horizon's All-League First Team, Burke earned an All-League Second Team selection and Hoying was honored on the All-Horizon All-Freshman Team.
 
It is the fourth straight year that the Norse have had at least two student-athletes on the Horizon's All-League First Team.
     
Joy Banks picked up the second conference yearly honor of her career after a standout season as an outside hitter with the Norse.
 
The junior from Macedonia, Ohio enters the post season ranked fifth in the conference in both points (423) and total kills (368) to go with being slotted in at seventh in the Horizon in total attacks (1,057) and 11th in total digs (326). On a national level, Banks is 58th in all of NCAA Division I volleyball in attacks and 80th in both point and kills, respectively.
 
She was also named to the Horizon's All-Freshman Team in 2021.
     
Abby Kanakry was honored with her second All-Horizon League First Team award of her career after a stellar regular season.
 
The graduate student from Crosse Pointe, Michigan is ranked sixth in the conference in kills (363), and seventh in both points (401) and kills per set (3.21). She is second on the Norse in all three categories as well.
 
Kanarky was also named to the conference's All-League First Team in 2021. She too was a finalist for the Horizon's Sportsmanship Award this year.
     
For the second straight year, Anna Burke earned top conference honors as she was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team in 2023.
 
The Libero and graduate student from Louisville, Kentucky finished the regular season ranked fourth in the Horizon in service aces (44), digs per set (4.70), and total digs (531) to go with being fifth in aces per set (0.39). On the national scene, Burke is 24th in the country in digs, 41st in digs per set, 49th in service aces and 130th in aces per set.
 
She was selected for the Horizon's All-League First Team in 2022 and was just named to the 2023 Horizon League All-Academic Team this week.
     
Ava Hoying was an easy choice for the Horizon League's All-Freshman Team after a standout start to her collegiate career at NKU.
 
The Dublin, Ohio native was ranked third on the Norse in kills (208) and fourth in both points (223) and points per set (2.08). On the conference level, Hoying slots in at 29th in the Horizon in kills per set as she appeared in all 29 matches for NKU.
 
 
It is officially championship season for the Norse as No. 4 NKU heads up to Dayton, Ohio to take on No. 5 Oakland in the Horizon League Quarterfinals on Friday, November 17 at 6 PM ET inside McLin Gymnasium on Wright State's campus. The match will be played in front of a national audience on ESPN+.
 
Fans and supporters can also find the Horizon League Championships page here, which includes a link for purchasing tickets for those looking to support the Norse in person!
 
 
2023 Horizon League Volleyball Award Winners
Player of the Year: Callie Martin, Wright State
Offensive Player of the Year: Panna Ratkai, Purdue Fort Wayne
Defensive Player of the Year: Emily Wichmann, Oakland
Setter of the Year: Katie Meyer, Wright State
Freshman of the Year: Panna Ratkai, Purdue Fort Wayne
Sportsmanship Award: Calli Gentry, Green Bay
Coach of the Year: Travers Green, Wright State
 
All-League First Team
Liberty Torres, Cleveland State
Tiffany Paalman, Green Bay
Hannah Vanden Berg, Green Bay
Madi Malone, Milwaukee
Ari Miller, Milwaukee
Joy Banks, Northern Kentucky
Abby Kanakry, Northern Kentucky
Emily Wichmann, Oakland
Panna Ratkai, Purdue Fort Wayne
Megan Alders, Wright State
Callie Martin, Wright State
Katie Meyer, Wright State
 
All-League Second Team
Emma Walker, Cleveland State
Anna Burke, Northern Kentucky
Patti Cesarini, Oakland
Natalie Stepanovich, RMU
Jenny Wessling, Wright State
Reilly Zegunis, Wright State
 
All-Freshman Team
Grace Purichia, IUPUI
Ava Hoying, Northern Kentucky
Gentry Brown, Oakland
Panna Ratkai, Purdue Fort Wayne
Ashby Willis, Purdue Fort Wayne
Natalie Stepanovich, RMU
Reilly Zegunis, Wright State
 
Sportsmanship Award Finalists
Calli Gentry, Green Bay
Ari Miller, Milwaukee
Abby Kanakry, Northern Kentucky
Anika Prisby, Oakland
Taya Haffner, Purdue Fort Wayne
Emma Brown, RMU
Andrea Bortulin, Wright State
Elise Moeller, Youngstown State
 
 
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