MANHATTAN, Kan. (K-State Athletics) – K-State’s Aliyah Carter became the first player in K-State volleyball history to earn three unanimous First Team All-Big 12 honors as the senior headlined a group of four Wildcats that earned all-conference honors, the league office revealed Tuesday.

In addition to Carter, graduate Sydney Bolding and senior Mackenzie Morris were selected to the second team while Aniya Clinton was named to the All-Big 12 Rookie Team. The all-conference honor is Bolding’s second consecutive postseason accolade while Morris and Clinton earn the first of their respective careers.

K-State was one of just four schools from the Big 12 to have at least four players selected All-Big 12, alongside BYU, Baylor, and Kansas. The awards were selected by the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their institution. A full list of the 2023 award winners and all-conference teams can be found below.

Carter, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, earned her third unanimous first-team honor after leading K-State with 390 kills and 4.06 kills per set during the regular season. She finished fifth in the Big 12 and 37th in the country in kills per set while her 4.43 kills a set during conference play ranked third in the league.

Her career average of 3.79 kills per set leads the program during the rally-scoring era (since 2001) and is third all-time in school history behind only Liz Wegner (1998-2001) and Dawn Cady (1996-1999).

Carter, who owns a program record of nine career conference weekly awards (five rookie, four offensive), carded five matches with 20 or more kills this season, including a season-high 24 at KU on November 3. Her 18 career 20-kill performances rank first in program history (rally-scoring).

Bolding, a native of Pickens, S.C., led the Big 12 in the regular season statistics with 134 total blocks while her 1.40 block average was good for second, finishing 35th and 12th in the nation in both categories.

Offensively, Bolding was third on the team with 157 kills and second with 28 service aces. The 6-foot-5 middle blocker also earned a place on the 2023 Lippy Invitational and Rose City Showdown All-Tournament Teams.

Bolding’s 1.30 career block average ranks second in program history during the rally-scoring era while her 354.0 total career blocks rank seventh.

Morris played in all 27 matches on the court and was one of three players to see time in all 97 sets this season. She led the league in digs per set (4.82) and total digs (468), finishing 33rd and 35th nationally, while she also finished with a career-best 107 assists.

She collected double-digit digs in all but two of matches this season, reaching a season-best 34 on November 3 against KU. The Cats’ starting libero added 22 total aces, collecting a season-best three against Texas Tech (Nov. 18) to reach her 100th career ace.

The Dallas, Texas product reached career dig No. 1,700 in her 104th match in a Wildcat uniform, becoming just the third player in program history to reach the milestone.  Morris’ 1,733 career digs rank third all-time as she is one of five active players from the Big 12 to surpass 1,700.

Clinton was selected to the All-Rookie Team following a freshman campaign in which she turned in 261 kills with a team second-best 2.84 kills average. She recorded a career-high 17 kills on September 23 in a five-set victory over TCU.

Additionally, the Midland, Texas native registered 53 digs and 58 total blocks, including eight solo stops. Three times this season Clinton led the Wildcats in kills, and recorded double-figure kills in seven of the Wildcats’ last nine outings.

Clinton received her first Big 12 accolade on October 31, after helping the Cats to back-to-back sweeps over then-No. 8 BYU where she registered an unbelievable .684 attack percentage (13 kills, 19 attempts) without committing a single error.

K-State (16-11, 10-8 Big 12) tied sixth in the Big 12 standings alongside Baylor (16-12, 10-8 Big 12), under first-year head coach Jason Mansfield. The Wildcats recorded a program record five Top 25 victories, including four consecutive sweeps over nationally ranked opponents at home.

2023 Big 12 Volleyball Award Winners
Player of the Year: Madisen Skinner, Texas, OH, Jr.*
Setter of the Year: Camryn Turner, Kansas, S, Jr.
Libero of the Year: Kate Georgiades, Houston, L, Sr.
Freshman of the Year: Nayeli Gonzalez, Iowa State, OH/RS
Coach of the Year: Ray Bechard, Kansas, 27th season

All-Big 12 First Team
Elise McGhee, Baylor, OH, Jr.
Whitney Bower, BYU, S, Sr.
Erin Livingston, BYU, OH, Sr.*
Whitney McEwan-Llarenas, BYU, MB, Gr.
Kate Georgiades, Houston, L, Sr.
Kenna Sauer, Houston, OH, Gr.
Nayeli Gonzalez, Iowa State, OH/RS, Fr.
Reagan Cooper, Kansas, OH/OPP, Gr.*
Ayah Elnady, Kansas, OH, Jr.
Camryn Turner, Kansas, S, Jr.
Aliyah Carter, K-State, OH/OPP, Sr.*
Melanie Parra, TCU, OH, Jr.*
Asjia O’Neal, Texas, MB, Sr.*
Madisen Skinner, Texas, OH, Jr.*

All-Big 12 Second Team
Manuela Bibinbe, Baylor, MB, Jr.
Lauren Briseno, Baylor, L/DS, Jr.
Averi Carlson, Baylor, S, So.
Abbie Jackson, Houston, OH, Gr.
London Davis, Kansas, OPP, Jr.
Sydney Bolding, K-State, MB, Gr.
Mackenzie Morris, K-State, L, Sr.

Alexis Shelton, Oklahoma, OH, So.
Jalyn Gibson, TCU, OH, So.
Audrey Nalls, TCU, OH, Gr.

All-Rookie Team
Mia Lee, BYU, MB/OPP
Zeta Washington, Cincinnati, MB
Nayeli Gonzalez, Iowa State, OH/RS*
Raegan Burns, Kansas, L/DS
Aniya Clinton, K-State, OH/OPP
Ella Swindle, Texas*, S
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