SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Omaha’s Sadie Limback was selected as The Summit League Volleyball Player of the Year in a vote by the league’s head coaches after leading the Mavericks to a 16-2 league record en route to their first regular season title in the program's Division I era. Limback becomes the first Omaha player to take home the league’s top individual honor.
 
The senior averaged 3.84 kills per set and registered a .328 hitting percentage during league play, helping the Mavericks to their third-best regular season winning percentage in program history. She notched double-figure kills in 15 of 18 league matches and recorded eight double-doubles. She tallied a career-high 21 digs against Kansas City and is currently third in the league in kills per set.
 
The Mavericks offense is guided by junior Sami Clarkson, who secured the Setter of the Year honor. Clarkson sits atop the league in assists per set (11.66) and third in total assists (723). During a 3-2 victory at Denver on Oct. 30, Clarkson dished out 52 assists to help the Mavericks finish off a season sweep of the Pioneers for the first time in program history. She also recorded five double-doubles this season.  
 
Kansas City senior Maddie Renn was named the Defensive Player of the Year becoming the first Roo to earn the accolade. She sits fifth in the league in digs per set (4.58) and total digs (293). Renn has notched 20-plus digs in four matches this season including a 27-dig effort at South Dakota, which was her highest total in a league match.
 
Denver’s Hailey Green claimed Freshman of the Year honors after an impressive rookie campaign. The Pioneer newcomer helped lead the offensive efforts, hammering down 157 kills this season -- the second-best total on the team, and averaging 2.42 kills per set. In the last match of regular-season action, Green registered a career-high 15 kills in a 3-2 home win over Oral Roberts.
 
Omaha’s Matt Buttermore secured his first Coach of the Year award after guiding the Mavericks to their first Summit League regular season title. His squad clinched the crown after securing a series sweep over Oral Roberts in the last week of regular season play. Omaha went 16-2 in league play and 19-9 overall and enter the championship seeking its first-ever championship trophy.
 
The All-League first team is made up of Limback, Clarkson, Renn, Denver’s Lydia Bartalo (2.86 kps/0.58 saps) and Tina Boe (2.38 kps/.397 hitting), Kansas City’s De’Janae Arnold (2.74 kps/.359 hitting/0.82 bps), Melanie Brecka (4.13 kps/.313 hitting/0.64 bps/3.09 dps) and Alli Schomers (11.53 aps), Oral Roberts’ Sakira LaCour (2.58 kps/1.38 bps/.387 hitting), South Dakota’s Madison Harms (2.62 kps/1.25 bps/.440 hitting) and Elizabeth Juhnke (.295 hitting/4.08 kps/2.99 dps), and South Dakota State’s Crystal Burk (3.75 kps/2.68 dps).
 
Honorable mention accolades went to North Dakota State’s Ali Hinze (3.56 kps/2.95 dps), Omaha’s Marriah Buss (3.11 kps/.250 hitting), Jaiden Centeno (4.90 dps) and McKenna Ruch (2.67 kps/1.23 bps/.425 hitting) and South Dakota’s Madison Jurgens (10.86 aps/0.41 saps) and Sami Slaughter (2.72 kps).
 
The Summit League All-Freshman team features Green, Omaha’s Shayla McCormick (2.66 kps/2.59 dps), Oral Roberts’ Trinity Freeman (2.86 kps/.244 hitting/0.63 bps), St. Thomas’ Lauren Galvin (3.55 kps/0.28 saps), South Dakota State’s Ella Thompson (0.75 bps) and Western Illinois’ Karli Wenzel (4.77 dps) and Brittany Wulf (3.04 kps).
 
Six of the league’s ten teams will embark on Vermillion Thursday through Saturday for The Summit League Volleyball Championship. The action starts Thursday at 4:30 p.m. CT when No. 4 Kansas City takes on No. 5 Oral Roberts inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. The quarterfinals will be streamed on thesummitleague.org/watch while the semifinals and championship match will be televised on MidcoSN and streamed on Midco Sports Plus.
 
Individual Awards
Player of the Year
Sadie Limback, Omaha
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Maddie Renn, Kansas City
 
Setter of the Year
Sami Clarkson, Omaha
 
Freshman of the Year
Hailey Green, Denver
 
Coach of the Year
Matt Buttermore, Omaha
 
2021 All-Summit League Volleyball Team
First Team
De’Janae Arnold, Kansas City, MH
Lydia Bartalo, Denver, OH
Tina Boe, Denver, MB
Melanie Brecka, Kansas City, RS
Crystal Burk, South Dakota State, OH
Sami Clarkson, Omaha, S
Madison Harms, South Dakota, MB
Elizabeth Juhnke, South Dakota, OH
Sakira LaCour, Oral Roberts, MB
Sadie Limback, Omaha, RS
Maddie Renn, Kansas City, DS/L
Alli Schomers, Kansas City, S

Honorable Mention
Marriah Buss, Omaha, OH
Jaiden Centeno, Omaha, DS/L
Ali Hinze, North Dakota State, OH
Madison Jurgens, South Dakota, S
McKenna Ruch, Omaha, OH
Sami Slaughter, South Dakota, OH
 
Freshman Team
Trinity Freeman, Oral Roberts, OH
Lauren Galvin, St. Thomas, OH
Hailey Green, Denver, MB
Shayla McCormick, Omaha, OH
Ella Thompson, South Dakota State, MB
Karli Wenzel, Western Illinois, DS
Brittany Wulf, Western Illinois, OH