SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Santa Clara University volleyball team set a program record Thursday for the second straight year, collecting an all-time-best eight West Coast Conference All-Academic honors. The Broncos landed two on the WCC All-Academic first team, in
Oren Abutbul and
Lia Okammor, while six others earned honorable mention distinction.
Joining Abutbul and Okammor on the awards list with honorable mention recognitions were
Kat Georgiadis,
Lauren Grover,
Hayley Hahn,
Elena Radeff,
Anna Stucchi and
Sophia Tulino. The Broncos set a program record in 2022 with seven awards, besting it this season with eight. It's the first time the Broncos has had multiple first-team honorees since 2019, when they had three (Alexa Dryer, Allison Kantor, Michelle Schaffer).
At the conclusion of each athletic season, the WCC selects an all-academic squad for each WCC-sponsored sport. To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative Grade Point Average, while also being a significant contributor to their team and in at least their second year at their school.
OREN ABUTBUL
Abutbul carries a 3.80 GPA in her computer science major. She finished the year fourth on the team with 199 kills and second with a .245 hitting percentage (minimum 100 kills). She was named all-WCC Honorable Mention for her performance this season. Abutbul logged six matches of hitting at least .300 with 10 or more kills, including twice in the final four matches of the season. She hit an impressive .625 with 10 kills and no errors against Jacksonville back on Aug. 26. Abutbul was also second on the team with 55 total blocks while adding 42 digs. She earned WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll Gold Honors in 2022-23, her first year in the conference.
LIA OKAMMOR
Okammor has posted a 3.77 GPA while majoring in neuroscience. She made 14 starts and appeared in each of the Broncos' first 15 matches while ranking among the WCC's leaders in multiple categories before her season was cut short due to injury. She was named to the 2023 all-WCC Preseason Team in August. At the time of her season ending (end of September), Okammor ranked tied for fifth in total blocks (51), seventh in blocks per set (0.98), and was among the WCC's top-35 in kills per set (1.54). She had multiple blocks in 12 of her 15 appearances, including a career-high 10 in the season-opener versus CSUN on Aug. 25. She had nine matches with at least five kills and was hitting .265 on the year. Okammor landed on the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll with Gold Honors in 2022-23.
KAT GEORGIADIS
Georgiadis carries a 3.54 GPA in her public health science major. She played as the Broncos' starting libero nearly all season long and appeared in all 28 of the team's matches. She led Santa Clara with 323 digs and a 3.05 digs per set average. Georgiadis was named WCC Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 28th, the second such award of her career. She eclipsed the 1,000 career digs mark on Aug. 25 with 40 total digs in two matches -- both Broncos victories. She was fourth on the team with 18 service aces and tied her career high with three against San Diego on Oct. 5.
Georgiadis completed her career tied for No. 6 all-time at Santa Clara with 1,293 career digs. Her 3.38 career digs per set average ranks seventh all-time. Georgiadis has twice been named WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention and is a three-time WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll Silver Honors recipient.
LAUREN GROVER
Grover has a 3.54 GPA while majoring in marketing. She appeared in 23 of the Broncos' 28 matches with nine starts as an important piece in the offensive rotation. Grover had her best season yet after sitting out 2022 and only appearing in four matches in 2021. She totaled 84 kills, 105 digs, 16 service aces, 13 assists and eight blocks. She had a career-high 16 kills at LMU on Oct. 16, and a career-best three service aces versus CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 9 in the Broncos' 3-1 win. Grover is a two-time WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll Silver Honors recipient.
HAYLEY HAHN
Hahn owns a 3.44 GPA in her environmental science major. She played in 20 of the Broncos' 28 matches as a defensive specialist. She totaled 60 digs on the year (1.15 per set). She had a season- and career-high 10 digs on the road at N.C. Central on Sept. 14 in the Broncos' 3-0 win. She had three other matches with at least six digs, and had four assists and a service ace on the year. Hahn received 2022-23 WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll Bronze honors.
ELENA RADEFF
Radeff is a finance major with a 3.49 GPA. She came on midway through the season and blossomed as a reliable offensive force for the Broncos. She earned all-WCC Honorable Mention accolades in 2023 for her efforts. She made 16 starts in 2023, and after never having a double-digit kills performance in her career, finished with seven such matches. She had four double-digit kills showings in a five-match stretch from Oct. 21 to Nov. 4. Radeff led all players in the WCC over the Oct. 5-7 weekend with 31 kills, though she didn't earn WCC Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts. She finished third on the team with 204 kills. She also had 105 digs, 26 blocks and 14 service aces. Radeff is a three-time WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll honoree (2 silver, 1 bronze).
ANN STUCCHI
Stucchi has a 3.70 GPA while majoring in communication. She was a main-stay for the Broncos in the middle, appearing in all 28 matches with 27 starts. She led the team with 85 total blocks and 0.82 blocks per set. She was also one of the team's best servers with a team-high 37 service aces. Stucchi ranked No. 1 in the nation after the season's opening week with 13 service aces, including tying a career-high with six aces on the road at crosstown rival San Jose State on Aug. 27.
Stucchi was named WCC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25 after averaging 2.00 blocks per set in WCC play. She had a career-high 12 kills at San Francisco on Nov. 16 and posted 19 matches of at least five kills from the middle. Stucchi hit a team-leading .297 for the year. She was named WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention in 2022 and has twice earned WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll Silver Honors.
SOPHIA TULINO
Tulino also majors in public health science, like Georgiadis, and has a 3.57 GPA. She was the Broncos' offensive leader in 2023 with a team-high 261 kills and 3.11 kills per set – both the second-highest season marks of her career. She was named all-WCC Honorable Mention this year for her efforts. Tulino posted three 20-kill performances during the first three weeks of the season. She had 15 matches with double-digit kills, 11 with multiple service aces and seven with multiple blocks. She was second on the team with 32 service aces and also had 27 total blocks and 108 digs. Tulino is a two-time WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention honoree, and has earned WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll accolades three times -- twice bronze and silver once.
