Three Commodore Volleyball Players Earn OCCAC All-Conference; Haddix Wins Setter of the Year

November 8, 2024 - - This week the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference awarded three players on the Lorain County Community College volleyball team with All-Conference honors and one Setter of the Year Award.

The Commodores finished the season with a respectable 8-4 record in the OCCAC and a 12-9 mark overall. At one point, the Commodores were winners of 10 out of 11 matches.

Ava Haddix (Amherst, Ohio/Marion L. Steele HS) was named the OCCAC Setter of the Year and named to the First Team All-OCCAC following an impressive sophomore season.  She was the offensive catalyst all season long as the Commodores setter. 

"Ava was great," said LCCC Head Coach Ted Whitsel. "She was our leader, she took charge as the captain and setter for the team.  She was very coachable and willing to listen to whatever you had to comment on about her play.  She was a very big piece of the puzzle to our team."

She ranked first in the conference in assists with 812 total and 10.02 per set.  She had 17 matches this season where she accumulated 30 or more assists.  She only failed to get 20 or more assists in one contest.  In late September, she had three matches in a row where she had 50+ assists, and had six total for the year.  On Aug. 27 and Sept. 16, she received Player of the Week Award from the OCCAC.

Making the Second Team All-OCCAC were freshmen outside hitters Isabella Beck (Wellington, Ohio/Wellington HS) and Gabriella Habeck (Huron, Ohio/Edison HS). 

"Bella and Ella were first year players that really stepped up and produced on a consistent basis for us all season long," said Whitsel. "They had multiple double-digit kill games and were just go-to players for our offense from the start.  I was happy to see both of them get the recognition (from the OCCAC) because they deserved it."

Habeck had 15 straight matches of 10+ kills for LCCC. In the conference, she was ranked second in kill per set with 3.64 and third in total kills with 284.  She was fifth in total receptions with 426.  She had her season-high in kills with 25 on Oct. 16 at Cuyahoga Community College in a five-set victory over the Triceratops.  She was twice named OCCAC Player of the Week on Sept. 23 and Oct. 14 and on Sept. 25 she was NJCAA DIII Player of the Week.

Beck had 11 matches this season with 10+ kills.  She was fourth in the OCCAC in kills per set with 2.80 and sixth in total kills with 227.  She also ranked fourth in total receptions with 443.  She had a career-high in kills against Lakeland Community College with 27 on Sept. 30, and in the previous match against Owens Community College on Sept. 25, she dealt out 23.  Like Habeck and Haddix, Beck won OCCAC Player of the Week twice in 2024 (Sept. 4 and Sept. 30).