SAN MARCOS, TX — According to Texas State volleyball head coach Sean Huiet, every time Emily DeWalt is recognized by the Sun Belt Conference, her first question to him is if any of her teammates earned honors, too. 

Well, Tuesday afternoon, DeWalt's question was answered as four Bobcat student-athletes were selected by the league's head coaches with regards to their performances on the court throughout the regular and guiding the Bobcats to a 14-2 conference mark and the top seed in the league's West Division for this week's conference tournament. 

"We know any individual award is a byproduct of the team's success," said Huiet. "We have had a great season so far, so to have four players be recognized in a league with 14 teams in awesome. I think all four are very deserving of the honors and have been integral in our success during our 14-2 conference run. 

"We get to celebrate them today, then back to work as we have bigger goals that we still need to accomplish this weekend in Foley."

For an unprecedented fifth consecutive season, Emily DeWalt was named the Sun Belt's Setter of the Year. She has won the award every season she's played collegiate volleyball. Additionally, for the second straight season, DeWalt was named the Sun Belt's Player of the Year. 

Joining DeWalt as an "… of the Year" award winner is Janell Fitzgerald, who won the league's Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight year. It also marks the second straight season Fitzgerald has won the league's preseason and postseason Offensive Player of the Year awards. 

Both DeWalt and Fitzgerald, who also set the Texas State career assist and kill marks, respectively, throughout the 2022 season, were named to the league's all-conference first team, too. DeWalt for the fifth straight time and Fitzgerald her fourth in five seasons. The duo has been selected as all-conference performers in all five seasons as a Bobcat. 

Joining DeWalt and Fitzgerald on the all-conference teams are Jada Gardner and Lauren Teske, who were both selected to the second team. Gardner for the second straight season and Teske's second all-conference honor, too. 

"It's hard to put into words what Emily means to me and this program. She will go down as not only one of the best players at Texas State but also in Sun Belt history," Huiet said. "I think this season has been one of the more challenging seasons for Janell, because she has been a huge target on all of our opponents' scouting reports, so she really has had to step up and learn how to make her attack more diverse in order to find ways to score points."

Texas State, which finished as the top team in the Sun Belt's West Division, led the Sun Belt Conference in points (1,870), hitting percentage (.289), team kills (1,493), team assists (1,401), assists per set (13.22) en route to earning a conference-leading 22 wins on the season. 

2022 Sun Belt Volleyball Awards
 
Player of the Year: Emily DeWalt, Texas State
 
Offensive Player of the Year: Janell Fitzgerald, Texas State
 
Defensive Player of the Year: Sophie Davis, James Madison
 
Libero of the Year: Rachel Hickey, South Alabama
 
Setter of the Year: Emily DeWalt, Texas State
 
Newcomer of the Year: Emily Jarome, Georgia Southern
 
Freshman of the Year: Maya Winterhoff, App State
 
Coach of the Year: Lauren Steinbrecher, James Madison
 
First-Team All-Sun Belt
Ella Saada, Coastal Carolina
Emily Jarome, Georgia Southern
Sophie Davis, James Madison
Miëtte Veldman, James Madison
Myah Conway, Old Dominion
Rachel Hickey, South Alabama
Hannah Maddux, South Alabama
Mia Wesley, Southern Miss
Emily DeWalt, Texas State
Janell Fitzgerald, Texas State
Amara Anderson, Troy
Tori Hester, Troy
 
Second-Team All-Sun Belt
McCall Denny, App State
Maya Winterhoff, App State
Lina Perugini, Coastal Carolina
Caroline Dozier, James Madison
Cami Hicks, Louisiana
Lydia Montague, Marshall
Niki Capizzi, South Alabama
Kailey Keeble, South Alabama
Cara Atkinson, Southern Miss
Jada Gardner, Texas State
Lauren Teske, Texas State
Julia Brooks, Troy
 
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