EDISON, N.J. – Fairfield University Volleyball – the regular season champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – collected a total of seven year-end awards from the MAAC, as announced on Wednesday morning. Head Coach Nancy Somera was selected by her peers as the MAAC Coach of the Year, while six student-athletes received All-MAAC recognition from the league's 12 head coaches.
 
Allie Elliott, Mamie Krubally and Maya Walker were all named to the All-MAAC First Team, the duo of Mikayla Haut and Blakely Montgomery earned All-MAAC Second Team distinction, and Harlan Wyche was selected to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
 
"To have six players earn All-MAAC honors is a testament to the depth on our team," said Somera. "Those six are certainly deserving of this recognition, but it also reflects the work of all 20 student-athletes elevating the level of competition in our practice gym to help us continuously improve as individuals and as a team."
 
Elliott collects her second straight All-MAAC First Team nod. This season, she has put down 2.62 kills per set from the outside, swinging at a .256 clip – the best for any six-rotation player in the MAAC. Elliott also ranked second on the Stags with 2.53 digs per frame along with 32 blocks and a team-leading 32 service aces. Against conference foes, Elliott hit .284 with 2.95 kills and 2.72 digs per stanza.
 
A MAAC All-Rookie Team pick last fall, Krubally joins the All-MAAC First Team after leading the Stags in kills at 2.76 per frame while hitting .272 from the right side. Her hitting percentage is good for seventh in the MAAC and is the best among conference hitters with more than 600 swings. In conference action, her hitting percentage of .322 also ranks seventh in the league and she joins the top 10 in kills per frame, putting down 3.07 per set against MAAC foes.
 
Walker picks up her first All-MAAC First Team selection after being tabbed for the Second Team in 2023. She is Fairfield's leader and ranks second in the MAAC with a .321 hitting percentage on her way to 2.05 kills per set. Walker is also fifth in the conference with 1.01 blocks per stanza, while her 112 total blocks rank 10th in a single season in Fairfield history. The junior middle hit .341 and contributed 75 blocks in 65 sets against MAAC opponents.
 
Haut's Second Team distinction is her third All-MAAC honor as a Stag. She was named All-MAAC First Team in 2023 and was the MAAC Rookie of the Year in the 2021 campaign. This fall, the senior outside hitter has posted 2.28 kills and 2.15 digs per frame, also getting a piece of 38 blocks. Haut averaged 2.62 kills per set on .246 hitting against MAAC opponents
 
A Second Teamer for the second straight season, Blakely Montgomery averages 5.75 assists per frame to rank sixth in the conference despite playing the majority of the season in a 6-2 offense. She helped pilot Fairfield to a .243 overall hitting percentage and a .280 conference hitting percentage – both league highs – with all eight of the Stags' primary hitters averaging better than a kill per set. Montgomery was also fifth on the Stags with 1.87 digs per set.
 
Harlan Wyche joins the All-Rookie Team after recording 1.15 kills per set on .333 hitting in 46 sets of action to date as a freshman. The first-year Stag is also averaging nearly one block per set with 43 rejections to her credit. Wyche played 25 frames against MAAC foes, hitting .431 en route to 1.48 kills per stanza and getting a piece of 25 total blocks.
 
Somera earns MAAC Coach of the Year honors for the first time in her second season leading the Stags. She guided Fairfield to a 17-1 MAAC record and the 2024 MAAC Regular Season Championship, following up on 2023's MAAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships in her first year at the helm. Somera is 40-18 overall as the head coach of the Stags.
 
Previously, Somera was the three-time GNAC Coach of the Year as the leader of Johnson & Wales, also collecting AVCA Division III National Coach of the Year honors in 2017.
 
"Perhaps even more than any other individual award, Coach of the Year is a reflection of the commitment of everybody associated with Fairfield Volleyball. I am honored to share this recognition with my assistants Brendan McGourn and Stephanie Stone, our administration and support staff and, above all else, with the 20 young women who put their trust in me as their coach and who are committed every day to our program's standards of excellence."
 
As the top seed in the MAAC Championship, Fairfield University Volleyball has earned a bye to Saturday's semifinal round. The Stags take the court at Siena's UHY Center at 1 p.m. against an opponent to be determined by action earlier in the weekend. The 2024 MAAC Championship Match is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Fairfield Volleyball has won a league-best 13 MAAC Championships, including the 2023 crown.