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Women’s Volleyball Program Earns Postseason Awards

November 17, 2022

The best Delaware Tech women’s volleyball season since 2016 earned the program additional postseason awards.

After winning the 2022 NJCAA Region 19 Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship, sophomore Alexcia Sutton was named NJCAA Region 19 Division II Player of the Year, first-year head coach Leigh DeSantis was named NJCAA Region 19 Division II Coach of the Year, and sophomores Morgan Donahue and Isabella Denk received NJCAA Region 19 All-Region honors.

Sutton and Donahue switched positions six games into the season, which helped provide the spark the team needed to finish strong and win the championship. After hurting her ankle, Sutton took over as libero on the defensive line, while Donahue moved into her role as outside hitter since she could jump and land. It was the best of both worlds for each athlete, as Sutton was adept at reading balls and diving relentlessly all over the court for digs, while Donahue’s strong net game racked up the kills due to her keen ball placement.

“Lexi completely revamped our defensive positioning and coverage,” DeSantis said. “As an aggressive libero, she truly made it her job to cover down on the court and not let the ball drop. It completely changed the attitude and dynamic of our defense and our hitter’s confidence.

“Morgan did a great job of swinging even when she would make errors. She made minor adjustments to her attack strategy and would keep pressing forward. Her court knowledge and serving ability is bar-none. She knew how to read the seams and hit the weak spots. Because of this, she was able to pull us out of a point deficit more than once.”

Sutton finished fourth overall in NJCAA Region 19 with 389 digs and added 51 aces. Prior to the region championship tournament, Sutton was named Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Association First Team All-Conference. She said she was honored to receive so many accolades to finish out her Delaware Tech career.

“It’s exciting and I’m glad I got it on a team with all of these girls,” she said. “They are the ones who got me where I am. It’s exciting to get something you’ve worked really hard for.”

Donahue recorded 155 kills, 299 digs, and 59 aces. She said she was surprised to receive all-region honors, but after finishing the 2021 season on the sidelines due to an injury, it was a great way to close out her Delaware Tech career.

“It was a shock receiving all-region and I didn’t believe it at first,” she said. “But it’s satisfying getting something like this during my last year playing.

“I had never experienced an injury before, and I was really down on myself last year while rehabbing. I wasn’t sure I’d get back to this.”

Denk excelled as the team’s only setter for the past two seasons, duplicating her 2021 NJCAA Region 19 All-Region honors with an outstanding season that saw her rack up 531 assists (3rd most in Region 19) while adding 234 digs, 37 aces, and 18 assisted blocks.

“Bella is our only setter and we literally could not get all of our kills without her,” DeSantis said. “She had a great attitude all season. For not being a traditional setter and for being willing to step up and do this since her freshman year is a testament to her dedication to the team and willingness to be a team player.”

DeSantis served as assistant coach in 2021 and took over as head coach over the summer. She said she knew when the team started preseason practice that this was a group capable of winning a championship. However, she never expected to be named the best coach in the region.

“I’m honestly humbled to be named coach of the year, and I give all the credit to my student-athletes and my assistant coach (Sydney Armbrister),” she said. “There is no way my leadership style and drive to work hard would have meant anything without them following suit. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity.”