AVCA Player of the Year: A Look at Women’s Volleyball’s Top Honor

The country’s top female collegiate volleyball player receives the AVCA Player of the Year Award each year. This award has honored top athletes who improve the game via their performance, strength, and attitude since its formation in 1985.

A group of head volleyball coaches from all collegiate levels chooses the winners. According to the AVCA, these players are “the best the sport has to offer.”

Among the winners are student-athletes like Misty May (Long Beach State), who won three Olympic gold medals in beach volleyball alongside Kerri Walsh (Stanford), and Kathryn Plummer (Stanford), a two-time AVCA National Player of the Year and three-time NCAA champion who went on to play professionally and represent the US Women’s National Team. Logan Tom, a Stanford student who won the prize twice before going on to become a four-time Olympian and one of the most well-known personalities in volleyball, is another exceptional athlete.

Here’s the complete list:

Year	Winner	School
2024	Olivia Babcock	Pittsburgh
2023	Sarah Franklin	Wisconsin
2022	Logan Eggleston	Texas
2021 (fall)	Dana Rettke	Wisconsin
2021 (spring)	Madison Lilley	Kentucky
2019	Yossiana Pressley	Baylor
2018	Kathryn Plummer	Stanford
2017	Kathryn Plummer	Stanford
2016	Sarah Wilhite	Minnesota
2015	Samantha Bricio	USC
2014	Micha Hancock	Penn State
2013	Krista Vansant	Washington
2012	Alaina Bergsma	Oregon
2011	Alex Jupiter	USC
2010	Carli Lloyd	Cal
2009	Megan Hodge	Penn State
2008	Nicole Fawcett	Penn State
2007	Foluke Akinradew	Stanford
2006	Sarah Pavan	Nebraska
2005	Christina Houghtelling	Nebraska
2004	Stacey Gordon Ogonna Nnaman	Ohio State Stanford
2003	Kim Willoughby	Hawai’i
2002	Logan Tom	Stanford
2001	Logan Tom	Stanford
2000	Greichaly Cepero	Nebraska
1999	Lauren Cacciamani Kerri Walsh	Penn State Stanford
1998	Misti May	Long Beach State
1997	Misty May	Long Beach State
1996	Angelica Llungquist	Hawai’i
1995	Cary Wendell Allison Weston	Stanford Nebraska
1994	Laura Davis	Ohio State
1993	Danielle Scott	Long Beach State
1992	Natalie Williams	UCLA
1991	Antoinette White	Long Beach State
1990	Bev Oden	Stanford
1989	Tara Cross Tonya Sanders-Williams	Long Beach State Hawai’i
1988	Tara Cross	Long Beach State
1987	Tonya Sanders-Williams	Hawai’i
1986	Mariliisa Salmi	BYU
1985	Kim Oden	Stanford

Stanford’s athletes have won the honor 10 times, more than any other school in the award’s history.

Who is the AVCA?

In 1981, the Collegiate Volleyball Coaches Association (CVCA) evolved into the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). It was started by UCLA’s Andy Banachowski, a member of the National Volleyball Hall of Fame, and Terry Liskevych, who was head coach at Pacific at the time.

It developed rapidly from its initial 100 members. By 1983, the organization had grown to include programs for the NCAA Division II, Division III, and NAIA, and more than 500 coaches were active. The organization changed its name to the AVCA in 1986 in order to continue growing and allow high school and club coaches to become members.

The AVCA still works to improve volleyball today by supporting professional development, leadership, and advocacy opportunities that help coaches and student athletes alike.

How does one select the player of the year?

Coaches who are a part of the AVCA follow players during their season, and the selection process goes from July to December.

Timeline for selection

A preseason shortlist of 30 student-athletes is released by the AVCA in July.
October: The watchlist receives a midseason update.
November: Based on in-season results, the list is reduced to semifinalists.
December: At the annual AVCA meeting, the winner is announced at the AVCA Awards Banquet.