NORTH BOSTON, N.Y. — Penn State Altoona women’s volleyball’s outside hitter Lydia Mock of Alum Bank was announced as the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference’s co-Player of the Year on Wednesday, Nov. 9, headlining the league’s slate of postseason awards that also included four Lions being selected to the all-conference team.
In addition to taking the top individual honor among AMCC women’s volleyball players, which she shares with Penn State Behrend outside hitter Hannah Phillips, Mock was a first-team all-conference selection. Penn State Altoona outside hitter Lacee Barnhart of Bellefonte and setter Kayla Moran of Boalsburg were both voted to the second team, and libero Erin Lutz of State College was picked to the third team.
Penn State Altoona student-athlete Lydia Mock
After being chosen as the AMCC’s Preseason Player of the Year entering this season, Mock met the high expectations by putting together a campaign that saw her finish statistically among the top players in the conference. The outside hitter played in 23 of Penn State Altoona’s 24 matches and ranked first in the AMCC in total attacks (1,054), second in kills per set (3.31), third in total kills (291), fourth in points per set (3.6) and digs per set (3.84), sixth in total points (314.0), seventh in total digs (338), 23rd in hitting percentage (.143), 32nd in service aces (19), and 40th in aces per set (0.22). She was also chosen as the AMCC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 26.
This is the third time in Mock’s collegiate career that she has been voted to an AMCC all-conference team, as she took second team honors in 2019 and first team recognition in 2021. She was also the 2019 AMCC Newcomer of the Year.
Penn State Altoona student-athlete Lacee Barnhart
Barnhart cemented herself as one of the top players in the conference with an excellent season, during which she played in all 24 matches for Penn State Altoona. In the conference, she ranked second in total attacks (998), fourth in total digs (352), fifth in digs per set (3.83) and kills per set (2.95), sixth in total kills (271), seventh in points per set (3.3), eighth in total points (302.0), 19th in service aces (27), 20th in hitting percentage (.152), and 25th in aces per set (0.29). Barnhart was also twice named the AMCC Player of the Week this season, receiving Defensive honors on Sept. 12 and Offensive recognition on Oct. 24.
This is Barnhart’s second selection to an All-AMCC team, as she was also a second team pick last season.
Penn State Altoona student-athlete Kayla Moran
Moran played in all 24 matches during the season with Penn State Altoona, during which she showed herself to be a top setter in the conference while also being proficient in other areas. Moran led the AMCC in assists per set (8.69) and was second in total assists (808), and she also ranked 18th in digs (227), 20th in service aces (26), 25th in digs per set (2.44), 26th in aces per set (0.28), 40th in points (90.0), and 42nd in kills (62).
This marks Moran’s second career selection to an All-AMCC team, after she took third team honors last season.
Penn State Altoona student-athlete Erin Lutz
Lutz secured her status as a top defensive player in the AMCC during the season, in which she played in all 24 matches for the Lions. She led the conference in digs per set (4.24) while ranking second in total digs (390), leading a Penn State Altoona defensive effort that finished first in the AMCC in team digs (1,715) and digs per set (18.44). Additionally, she finished 15th in the conference in assists per set (0.70), 18th in total assists (64), 26th in service aces (24), and 33rd in aces per set (0.26). Lutz was named the AMCC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 31.
This is the second time in Lutz’s career that she has been an All-AMCC selection, as she took second team recognition last season.
Penn State Altoona women’s volleyball went 11-13 overall this season and finished fifth in the AMCC’s regular season standings with a 4-3 conference record. The Lions reached the semifinal round of the AMCC postseason tournament, where the team suffered a five-set loss to eventual conference champion Alfred State College.
