ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Junior McKenzie Adams was named Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Player of the Year, the league office announced on Sunday night in conjunction with its all-conference release.
Adams, who also was a first-team honoree, was one of five Roadrunners to earn postseason accolades in a vote by the league's coaches.
Freshman Annie Kunes was tabbed WAC Libero of the Year and was joined on the second team by senior Whitney Walls and junior Brandy Huskey, while Kunes and Kylie Schott were selected to the All-Freshman Team.
Adams becomes the fourth Player of the Year honoree in program history and first since Tamara Luckemeyer earned her second Southland Conference Player of the Year honor in 1999.
The 6-foot-3 outside hitter became the third player in WAC history to be named Player of the Week five times during the season (Hawai`i's Kanani Danielson 2009/New Mexico's Pauline Manser 1991). She leads the league with 4.88 points and 4.37 kills per set, while her mark of 3.77 digs is good for fifth. The Schertz native also owns a team-leading 19 double-doubles this fall, including a pair of 20-20 matches (26 kills-20 digs, vs. UAB, Aug. 24/23 digs-20 kills, at Seattle, Sept. 27).
Kunes earned the league's first-ever Libero of the Year award and became the third player in school history to earn the honor (Kelsey Jewasko 2008, '10). The Fontana, Wis., native leads the WAC with 4.99 digs per set and her 5.39 digs per panel in conference-only matches ranks fourth all-time in league history. She has amassed 454 stops this season, including a season-high 29 in a four-set victory against Denver on Nov. 8, and collected 15 or more in 23 contests this fall.
Walls, a preseason All-WAC selection, garnered all-conference accolades for the fourth time of her career. The Arlington native ranks ninth in the circuit with 3.42 points and 3.06 winners per frame in conference-only contests, while her 2.84 kills in all contests stands second on the team. She has racked up 1,213 winners during her career, which ranks ninth in program annals.
Huskey picked up her first postseason laurel in her first campaign as a setter at the collegiate level. She runs point for the league's top attacking club and has handed out 10.83 assists per panel, which ranks second in the WAC. The Columbus native has accumulated 16 double-doubles, which is good for second on the club, and she dished out a season-high 59 helpers in UTSA's five-set win against UTEP on Sept. 1.
Schott ranks seventh in the league in blocks per set (1.06) and eighth in hitting percentage (.315). She established season highs of 11 kills against Belmont (Sept. 1), eight total blocks against UAB (Aug. 24) and four solo blocks against Texas State (Sept. 21).
No. 3 seed UTSA (20-8) opens play at this week's WAC Tournament, which is being played at the friendly confines of the Convocation Center, at noon on Monday against sixth-seeded San Jose State (14-15). The Roadrunners swept the season series, dropping just one set to the Spartans.