Hazleton's Mack, Fayette's DeShields and Shenango's Mauro Lead PSUAC Volleyball All-Conference Selections
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State University Athletic Conference announced its 2025 Volleyball All-Conference team on Thursday, October 23rd, honoring nearly 50 student-athletes for their outstanding performances on the court this season.
Penn State Hazleton's fourth year standout Sydney Mack repeated as the East Division Player of the Year after a campaign that saw her notch her 1,000 career kill. Mack led the PSUAC in kills (278) and kills per set (3.81) while also finishing sixth in hitting percentage (.267). Mack's performances helped Hazleton secure the two-seed in the East Division in the PSUAC playoffs as she looks to lead her team to a second consecutive PSUAC title.
On the other side of the Commonwealth, Penn State Shenango's Izzy Mauro and Penn State Fayette's Amiah DeShields impressed to earn the West Division Co-Player of the Year honors. Mauro earned the award after finishing second in the PSUAC in hitting percentage at .309. Mauro also finished fourth in kills at 184 and fifth in kills per set at 2.75 as she led her team to a perfect record in conference play to secure the top seed in the West Division. DeShields, who finished tied with Mauro with 2.75 kills per set, hit at a .269 clip, which was fourth in the PSUAC.
Mauro's teammate Savana Shipman was named the West Division Rookie of the Year after a campaign that was eerily similar to Mauro's, Shipman finished the season with 181 kills and averaged 2.70 kills per set, both top 10 in the PSUAC. Shipman also notched 30 service aces and 216 digs in her all-around effort.
In the East, the Rookie of the Year also hailed from the top divisional seed as Penn State York's Kira Eisenberg earned the top first year honors. On a team with perhaps the most balanced attack in the PSUAC, Eisenberg finished the season with 156 kills, 54 service aces and 202 digs, all top 12 performances in the PSUAC.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the East Division Specialist of the Year was Hazleton's Sophia Del Vacchio, who was an East Division First Team selection at setter in 2024 and was narrowly beaten out by teammate Nora Jones for the specialist award last year. Del Vacchio distributed the ball better than anyone in the East, setting up teammates Mack and Claire Riera-Gomez for most of their combined 457 kills. Del Vacchio led the PSUAC in assists with 605, 100 more than her nearest peer at the position. Del Vacchio also hit a milestone this season, recording her 2,000th career assist.
Similarly to Player of the Year, the West Division shared Specialists of the Year as Fayette's Zoey Hopkins and Shenango's Jadeyn Zepeda were recognized by coaches for their outstanding play. Hopkins, a defensive specialist/libero, picked up 226 digs on the season, tied for fourth in the PSUAC and best in the West Division. Zepeda was second only to Del Vacchio in assists per set (7.44) and total assists (491) as she shared the ball with three First Team selections in Mauro, Shipman and Sydney Ward.
Shenango's Andrew Frank was named the PSUAC Coach of the Year after leading Shenango to a perfect 10-0 record in the West, and an overall record of 12-8. Frank, who led his team to the semifinals of the 2024 PSUAC Volleyball Tournament, has his team primed for another run deep into the postseason as the top seed in the West.
PSUAC All-Conference award recipients are nominated by coaches and voted on by coaches and administrators within the conference. For all of our award recipients click on the link below.