Volleyball Sees 4 Named to 2023 All-KJCCC Teams

COLBY, Kan. – Following the season ending in the Region VI championship match, Butler volleyball saw four student-athletes from the 2023 squad earn All-KJCCC honors.

Middle blocker Sydney Lentz and setter Anja Milosevic each landed on the first team while middle blocker Raven Boone and outside hitter Maria Eduarda Motta earned second team honors.

Lentz, a sophomore middle blocker from Wichita, landed on the first team after leading the Grizzlies in hitting percentage (.339) and blocks (133). The 133 blocks rank second all-time in Butler volleyball history for a single season. The hitting percentage (.339) ranked fourth in the KJCCC and her 1.17 blocks per set was second best in the league. Lentz had 12 matches with double-digit kills and ended the season with six straight double-digit kill matches. She had 13 matches with 5+ total blocks.

Milosevic, a freshman setter from Belgrade, Serbia, was named a first team setter after she was named the KJCCC Setter of the Week three times over the course of the season as well as the NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week once. Milosevic broke a Butler program record for assists in a match with 53 in a win over Cloud County on Oct. 16th. She had 17 double-doubles of assists and digs across the season and had 19 matches of 30+ assists, facilitating the Grizzly attack all year. Her 1,051 total assists, 8.54 assists per set and 53 service aces all landed in the top 10 in the conference. Her 53 service aces led the Grizzlies as she had 10 more than the second highest finisher.

Motta, a sophomore outside hitter from Foz do Iguaco, Brazil, was named to the second team. She had 10 double-digit kill matches over the season but was impressive in all facets as she racked up 13 double-digit dig matches as well. She closed the season out with eight straight matches with double-digit digs, having four double-doubles of kills and digs in that span. Motta also had 20 matches with multiple blocks and had 10+ points scored in 19 matches. She finished with 43 service aces, second to Milosevic for the Grizzlies.

Boone, a freshman middle blocker from Gardner, Kansas, was extremely impressive in her freshman campaign for the Grizzlies. She ranked second on the team and 12th overall in the conference for total blocks with 91 on the season. Boone racked up 10 blocks in a win over Frank Phillips early in the season, the most blocks in a single match by any Grizzly all season. She hit .287 at the net, finishing with 12 matches of 10+ kills. Boone tallied 10 or more kills in eight of the last 10 matches of the season, becoming an offensive force during the most important stretch of the season.

The full list of All-KJCCC honorees can be found below.

Coach of the Year
Megan Besecker (Barton)

MVP/Freshman of the Year
Phoebe Reyes (Barton)

First Team
Phoebe Reyes (Barton)Celia Mbaya (Colby); Sydney Lentz (Butler); Taniya Golden (Hutchinson); Kassidy Nixon (Barton); Anna Dean (Hutchinson); Anna Wierzbicki (Barton); Lily Pichon (Colby); Vitoria Stedile (Garden City); Anja Milosevic (Butler)

Second Team 
Giovanna Ravanhani (Hutchinson); Leisey Keli'i (Dodge City); Anna Gazzerro (Colby); Doga Eski (Cloud County); Clara Lindstrom (Barton); Jelena Milovanovic (Garden City); Raven Boone (Butler); Rafaela DaSilva (Seward County); Maria Motta (Butler); Tess De Zanet (Dodge City)

Honorable Mention
Tola Maczka (Garden City); Pinar Dugeroglu (Garden City); McKenzie Murphy (Hutchinson); Madison Ronnebaum (Cloud County); Elena Stankovic (Barton); Ilaria Chiericati (Colby); Sierra Scanlan (Dodge City); Mya Thompson (Barton); Rylie Hallman (Pratt); Katelynn Brogan (Cloud County); Apolline Lepuissant (Garden City); Bradie Medina (Cloud County); Alejandra Briseno (Hutchinson); Alyssa Hunter (Pratt); Emery May (Cloud County)