FRISCO, Texas – HCU Head Coach Trent Herman was named Coach of the Year, redshirt freshman setter Grace McLaughlin was named Newcomer of the Year and McLaughlin, junior right side Anna Gadway, sophomore outside hitter Sara Arroyo and sophomore middle blocker Audrey Pearce earned all-conference honors as the Southland Conference Volleyball All-Conference Teams were announced by the league office Thursday.
 
Herman was named Coach of the Year for the second-straight season after leading HCU to its first-ever Southland Conference regular-season title with a 14-4 league mark. The Huskies' 22 wins overall are the most in Herman's 11 seasons at the school. HCU won its last four matches, holding off three teams which tied for second one game behind.
 
In addition to Newcomer of the Year, McLaughlin was a second-team all-conference selection. She redshirted after missing all of 2021 with an injury and stepped up in place of all-conference setter Ellie Wipf, who missed all of this year with an injury. McLaughlin ranked second in the league with 9.88 assists per set and averaged 10.36 in conference play, while also averaging 2.83 digs per set. The Lucas, Texas, native recorded 19 double-doubles and had 50 assists more five times. She had a career-high 62 assists and added 13 digs in a five-set win at Nicholls, had a career-high 19 digs to go along with 46 assists in a four-set win at Northwestern State and had 54 assists, 18 digs and four kills in a victory at Texas A&M-Commerce.
 
Gadway earned first-team all-conference honors for the second-straight season. The Needville, Texas, native ranked seventh in the league with a .287 hitting percentage, sixth with 3.09 kills per set and seventh with 3.48 points per set, while adding 1.86 digs per set and 67 total blocks. Gadway posted double-digit kills 19 times, double-digit digs eight times and had five double-doubles. She hit .410 and had a season-high 19 kills with five digs and four blocks against UIW and had 17 kills and a season-high 16 digs against ULM.
 
Pearce was a second-team all-conference selection for the second-straight year. The Aledo, Texas, native ranked 10^th in the league with a .272 hitting percentage, ranked third with 1.11 blocks per set and added 2.20 kills per set. Her 126 total blocks are the fourth-most in school history during the 25-point rally scoring era. Pearce recorded double-digit kills eight times and five or more blocks 11 times. She had a career-high 17 kills and had five blocks at Nicholls and had a near triple-double with 10 kills, nine digs and nine blocks at McNeese.
 
Arroyo earned all-conference for the first time in her career as a second-team pick. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, native ranked ninth in the league with 3.02 kills per set, hitting .249, while adding 43 blocks. Arroyo recorded double-digit kills 23 times, including each of the last seven matches and 13 of the last 14. She registered a career-high 20 kills at McNeese and 19 in a win over Nicholls.
 
The all-conference teams and superlative awards are voted upon by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
 
The top-seeded Huskies receive a bye to the semifinals at the Southland Conference Tournament and will be back in action Saturday at noon in Hammond, Louisiana. The winner of the tournament receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.