VINCENNES, Ind. – Four Vincennes University Trailblazer volleyball players earned Division I First Team-All Region 24 honors this week.
Sophomore Paige Parlanti (Las Vegas, Nev.) successfully defended her crown as Division I Region 24 Player of the Year becoming the first ever two-time Division I Region 24 Player of the Year.
Parlanti earns the fourth Division I Region 24 Player of the Year honors since moving to Division I in 2016, including Allison Smith (Oakland, Ill.) in 2018, Grace Earp (Mattoon, Ill.) in 2021 and Parlanti last season.
"It is a great honor to be rewarded and recognized as Player of the Year for the Region two years in a row because there are many talented athletes in our Region," Parlanti said. "I have worked hard to try to be the best player and teammate that I can be by challenging and pushing myself every time I step on the court. I feel that my hard work has not gone unnoticed. I would like to thank all the coaches that have molded me into the player I am today."
Parlanti is joined on the All-Region 24 team by freshman Elisa Dalla Pozza (Vincenza, Italy) and sophomores Maecy Johnson (Chrisman, Ill.) and Morgan Netcott (Montague, Mich.).
Parlanti followed up a stellar freshman campaign with an even more impressive sophomore run this season, finishing with 514 kills, 408 digs, 73 blocks and 46 aces.
Parlanti is currently second in the nation in kills per set at 4.36 and points per set at 5.1, third in the country in points with 603.5 and fourth in kills.
Parlanti finished with 21 double-doubles this season, including setting season-highs with 28 kills and 33 digs at Jefferson College.
"My favorite memory from this season was when we played in the P.E. Complex again after all of the difficulties with the court," Parlanti added. "it was so surreal, I thought I was never going to experience that again with my teammates."
Parlanti closes out her two-year VU career with an outstanding 1,049 kills, the first VU hitter in the 25-point rally scoring era (2008-present) to achieve this milestone.
Parlanti also ended her Trailblazer career with 946 digs, 117 blocks and 105 aces, giving her a total of 1,236.5 points in just two years with the Blue and Gold.
"It felt amazing to reach 1,000 kills in two years of college," Parlanti said. "I am a competitive person that likes to push myself and set goals. In high school, it took me three years to reach 1,000 kills. So being able to reach that goal in two years is exciting."
"I would like to tell future players coming into Vincennes to hold yourself accountable, work hard, never give up and be a good teammate," Parlanti added. "Remember in games, you play the way you practice, so every time you step foot on the court in practice, you need to work hard and give everything you've got."
Freshman Elisa Dalla Pozza made an immediate impact for the Trailblazers at the net after missing the first five matches of the season with an injury.
"Being named First Team All-Region 24 means I reached one of the many goals I have set for my life," Dalla Pozza said. "Making your way in a country that isn't yours is hard and to have been selected for this honor is truly gratifying for me."
"This honor is satisfying not only for my volleyball life, but also my personal life," Dalla Pozza added. "Every day I have to face new obstacles and people who have challenged my abilities. I would also like to say that with the help of my family, especially my mother, who made an effort to let me experience all of it, all of my coaches who taught me to always give my best and the teams in Italy who always gave me the opportunity to play at a high level. Therefore, I am especially grateful to all my teammates and friends who take care of me when things turn tough."
Dalla Pozza recorded an outstanding seven blocks in her first collegiate match against Richard Bland College and seemingly never looked back, finishing with 151 total blocks this season, which currently places her third in the country.
Dalla Pozza is also third in the Nation in block assists, with 131 and second in blocks per set at 1.35.
Dalla Pozza also recorded 216 kills, 85 digs and 42 aces this season for the Trailblazers.
Dalla Pozza's best blocking game came against Lincoln Trail College in September, where she recorded 13 blocks in VU's three-set sweep over the Lady Statesmen.
Dalla Pozza also took advantage of being an excellent hitter from the middle blocker position, recording 10 or more kills five times this season, including 17 kills in a five-set win over Southeastern Iowa.
"My favorite memory from this past season was when I played my first college match after missing the first two weeks of the season," Dalla Pozza added. "My biggest takeaway from this season is you always have to have a positive attitude and to be mentally strong to face a Championship match like we did. It is very important to be able to improve and to grow."
Maecy Johnson made a tremendous impact for the Trailblazers this season, running the VU offense from the setter position to the tune of 1,142 set assists this season, eighth most in the country this season.
"Being named First Team All-Region 24 is a great honor," Johnson said. "The 2023 VU volleyball team has several skilled and talented players, so having been chosen for the First Team is an honor I will forever cherish."
Johnson entered the starting lineup this season after sitting behind two sophomore setters last season in Josephine Mulligan (Saint John, Ind.) and two-time First Team All-Region 24 honoree Hannah Graber (Montgomery, Ind.).
Johnson made the most of her opportunity, surpassing the 1,000 career set assists milestone, while also recording 167 digs, 43 kills, 29 aces and 30 blocks this season.
Johnson recorded three double-doubles this season, including setting a career-high with a staggering 53 set assists against Southeastern Iowa.
"My favorite memory from this past season has been winning the Region 24 Championship game and bringing a three-peat championship and adding the 2023 VU volleyball team into the history of the VU volleyball program," Johnson added.
Johnson closes out her Trailblazer career with a total of 1,323 set assists, becoming the seventh Trailblazer in the 25-point rally scoring era to surpass the 1,000 set assists milestone.
Johnson also continued to be an all-around presence for the Trailblazers at the net, finishing her two years at VU with 237 digs, 89 kills, 44 blocks and 44 aces.
"Surpassing 1,000 set assists this year was a personal goal I had been working toward since the beginning of the season," Johnson said. "After not having much playing time as a setter my freshman year, I knew I had my work cut out for me. With the assistance of our defensive players and our phenomenal offensive lineup, I knew that it could be accomplished, so I worked hard to get the numbers each match."
"The advice I would give to the next group of VU volleyball players is that each set is a new challenge," Johnson added. "You will make mistakes but shake it off and look forward to the next point, even when you are down. Be a leader that gives good, solid advice and never give up."
Sophomore libero Morgan Netcott was once again named First Team All-Region 24 after putting together another great season defensively for the Blazers with 692 digs, third most in the country this season.
"Receiving this honor means a lot, especially as a libero," Netcott said. "We often don't get a lot of recognition, so it goes to show how good the rest of our team is that I'm able to get this award again."
Netcott surpassed the 1,000 career digs milestone this season, making her the third VUVB player in the 25-point rally scoring era to do so, finishing her two year career at VU with 1,389 digs.
Along with being a stellar defensive player, Netcott continued to serve the ball very well, finishing with 12 aces on the season.
"As funny as it is, I love the hard times with the team," Netcott added. "When it's 7 a.m. and we are all walking to our third two-a-day of the week. It's just something that we all do together and I'm going to miss the camaraderie of it."
Netcott closed out her VU career with 1,389 digs, 125 set assists, 30 aces and three kills.
"It was such a rewarding moment to surpass 1,000 career digs," Netcott said. "It felt like all of our hard work paid off. Our defense is built around funneling the ball to me and when our block and defenders are all in the right spot, it sets me up for the best opportunity to get the ball. Our team has done an amazing job with that, so it only makes sense that I hit 1,000 digs."
"My advice to future VU volleyball players is to work hard and work as a team," Netcott added. "None of us could have gotten this honor without every other person on the roster. When a team works together and plays with great chemistry, it's hard to beat them. With the support of your teammates it fells easy to do hard things."
Together this group of outstanding VUVB athletes led the Trailblazers to a 32-7 record this season. VU was ranked as high as No. 18 in the country this season, the highest VUVB National ranking since moving to Division I and VU's first appearance in the Division I Midwest District Championship game in program history.
VU's 32 wins this season is the most by a Trailblazers team since moving to Division I in 2016 and the Blazers capped off their third-straight undefeated Region 24 Championship.
The 2023 sophomore class closes out their two-years at Vincennes University with an outstanding 61-16 record, with a 26-0 record against Region 24 opponents.
The Vincennes University Athletic Department would like to congratulate Paige, Elisa, Maecy and Morgan on a great season and this tremendous honor.
2023 NJCAA Division I All-Region 24 Teams
Player of the Year – Paige Parlanti – Vincennes
First Team
Lexi Kosmopolis – John A. Logan
Elisa Dalla Pozza – Vincennes
Ellie McManaway – John A. Logan
Maecy Johnson – Vincennes
Morgan Netcott – Vincennes
Sarah Whittom – Kaskaskia
Second Team
Riley Kleber – Kaskaskia
Faith Shull – Lincoln Trail
Mia Trankler – John A. Logan
Julia Poole – Kaskaskia
Presli Karnes – John A. Logan
Hannah Saucerman – Lincoln Trail