RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- The GSAC women’s volleyball annual awards were released Tuesday and headlining the honors for California Baptist University was Head Coach Ryan McGuyre winning his first GSAC Coach of the Year Award.
CBU also had four athletes named to the All-GSAC Team, the school’s most since 2007.
“I definitely think these players and my coaching staff won this award for me,” said McGuyre. “Jen (McGuyre) and Brandon (Crisp) put in a ton of extra work each week to prepare this team. The girls have had a wonderful attitude and developed great chemistry and it has made for a special season. We had our longest winning streak, first win at Fresno and now my first coach of the year award, it definitely has been a special season.”
McGuyre led the Lancers to a second place finish in the conference with a 29-5 overall, 16-4 GSAC record. The season was highlighted by a program-record 18-match win streak out of the gates followed by five victories over ranked opponents. The biggest win of the season came on Nov. 6, when McGuyre led the Lancers to a road victory over No. 3 Fresno Pacific, becoming the first team to beat the Sunbirds on their home court since 2002, a streak of 122 matches.
McGuyre also reached a personal milestone earning his 300th career win on Oct. 23 against San Diego Christian. He is now 305-85 for a staggering .782 winning percentage in his 12 seasons as a women’s head coach.
It is the second straight year, fourth time overall that McGuyre has led CBU to a top-two finish in the conference. McGuyre adds to his stellar record in the NAIA’s toughest volleyball conference, moving to 120-60 (.667) in his nine years with the Lancers. McGuyre is CBU’s first GSAC Coach of the Year since Mike Neece in 1999 and third overall in the program’s 23 year history in the GSAC. Gene Krieger also won the award in 1989.
“It is the only conference I have ever known as a coach,” said McGuyre, who also spent three years coaching at Biola. “Winning this in our last year in the conference is bittersweet, but it also gives great satisfaction to close things out this way. There are a lot of great coaches in this conference.”
Not to get lost in the shuffle are those players who McGuyre credits with the team’s success this season, namely the four Lancers who earned all-conference selections.
Sophomore Ingrid Carmona earns her second straight All-GSAC selection after being one of two players last season to garner the honor. Bree Rauschenbach, Jelena Dragovic and Nevena Dragovic all earned their first awards.
Carmona led the team and was third in the GSAC with 468 kills on the season. Her 4.42 kills per game were also best on the team. She also is third on the team with 274 digs, and leads the squad with 11 double-doubles this season. Carmona not only won All-GSAC last season, but was named first team All-American as a freshman.
Rauschenbach and Jelena Dragovic combined to make one of the best middle blocking tandems in the conference this season. The two players led CBU to the second best blocks per game average in the GSAC with 2.28 and most blocking assists with 428. Even with the national tournament still looming, the Lancers’ 274.0 total blocks is already the highest number put up by any CBU team in the past four seasons. The anchors of the team, Rauschenbach and Jelena Dragovic have each played the most games on the squad with 120.
Rauschenbach is eighth in the conference with 113.0 total blocks and tied for second with 18 solo blocks. She leads the GSAC with 0.54 service aces per game en route to leading CBU to the best sa/g average at 1.74. Rauschenbach has the highest attacking percentage of any Lancer, hitting .371 on her way to 257 kills.
Playing in her first year at CBU, Jelena Dragovic has the second highest hitting percentage on the team at .358 and has recorded 222 kills this year. She leads the team and is second in the conference with 1.02 b/g and 123.0 total blocks. She has the second most blocking assists in the conference with 117.
Nevena Dragovic has slowly, but surely took her place as the best setter in the GSAC this season. Improving her setting numbers nearly every week, she leads the conference with 11.10 assists per game, recording 977 assists this season. Nevena Dragovic’s setting has helped lead the team to the second best hitting percentage in the conference at .272. She has also thrown in 49 kills, 17 service aces, 116 digs and 53 total blocks.
“I am extremely proud of these girls and the way they have matured this season,” said McGuyre. “They have shown great determination and growth all season and deserve all the credit. It is all really a reflection on this team as a whole.”
CBU also had four athletes named to the All-GSAC Team, the school’s most since 2007.
“I definitely think these players and my coaching staff won this award for me,” said McGuyre. “Jen (McGuyre) and Brandon (Crisp) put in a ton of extra work each week to prepare this team. The girls have had a wonderful attitude and developed great chemistry and it has made for a special season. We had our longest winning streak, first win at Fresno and now my first coach of the year award, it definitely has been a special season.”
McGuyre led the Lancers to a second place finish in the conference with a 29-5 overall, 16-4 GSAC record. The season was highlighted by a program-record 18-match win streak out of the gates followed by five victories over ranked opponents. The biggest win of the season came on Nov. 6, when McGuyre led the Lancers to a road victory over No. 3 Fresno Pacific, becoming the first team to beat the Sunbirds on their home court since 2002, a streak of 122 matches.
McGuyre also reached a personal milestone earning his 300th career win on Oct. 23 against San Diego Christian. He is now 305-85 for a staggering .782 winning percentage in his 12 seasons as a women’s head coach.
It is the second straight year, fourth time overall that McGuyre has led CBU to a top-two finish in the conference. McGuyre adds to his stellar record in the NAIA’s toughest volleyball conference, moving to 120-60 (.667) in his nine years with the Lancers. McGuyre is CBU’s first GSAC Coach of the Year since Mike Neece in 1999 and third overall in the program’s 23 year history in the GSAC. Gene Krieger also won the award in 1989.
“It is the only conference I have ever known as a coach,” said McGuyre, who also spent three years coaching at Biola. “Winning this in our last year in the conference is bittersweet, but it also gives great satisfaction to close things out this way. There are a lot of great coaches in this conference.”
Not to get lost in the shuffle are those players who McGuyre credits with the team’s success this season, namely the four Lancers who earned all-conference selections.
Sophomore Ingrid Carmona earns her second straight All-GSAC selection after being one of two players last season to garner the honor. Bree Rauschenbach, Jelena Dragovic and Nevena Dragovic all earned their first awards.
Carmona led the team and was third in the GSAC with 468 kills on the season. Her 4.42 kills per game were also best on the team. She also is third on the team with 274 digs, and leads the squad with 11 double-doubles this season. Carmona not only won All-GSAC last season, but was named first team All-American as a freshman.
Rauschenbach and Jelena Dragovic combined to make one of the best middle blocking tandems in the conference this season. The two players led CBU to the second best blocks per game average in the GSAC with 2.28 and most blocking assists with 428. Even with the national tournament still looming, the Lancers’ 274.0 total blocks is already the highest number put up by any CBU team in the past four seasons. The anchors of the team, Rauschenbach and Jelena Dragovic have each played the most games on the squad with 120.
Rauschenbach is eighth in the conference with 113.0 total blocks and tied for second with 18 solo blocks. She leads the GSAC with 0.54 service aces per game en route to leading CBU to the best sa/g average at 1.74. Rauschenbach has the highest attacking percentage of any Lancer, hitting .371 on her way to 257 kills.
Playing in her first year at CBU, Jelena Dragovic has the second highest hitting percentage on the team at .358 and has recorded 222 kills this year. She leads the team and is second in the conference with 1.02 b/g and 123.0 total blocks. She has the second most blocking assists in the conference with 117.
Nevena Dragovic has slowly, but surely took her place as the best setter in the GSAC this season. Improving her setting numbers nearly every week, she leads the conference with 11.10 assists per game, recording 977 assists this season. Nevena Dragovic’s setting has helped lead the team to the second best hitting percentage in the conference at .272. She has also thrown in 49 kills, 17 service aces, 116 digs and 53 total blocks.
“I am extremely proud of these girls and the way they have matured this season,” said McGuyre. “They have shown great determination and growth all season and deserve all the credit. It is all really a reflection on this team as a whole.”
