WALESKA, Ga. – For the second straight season, UPike's Laney Hawley has been named first-team all-conference.
 
Hawley, a 5-11 sophomore from Kenosha, Wisc., was one of 10 Bears honored when the Appalachian Athletics Conference announced its all-conference, all-freshman and all-academic teams on Wednesday.
 
Hawley led the Bears with 382 points in the regular season. She averaged 2.77 kills per set and was second on the team with 30 service aces this year.
 
She was equally effective on the defensive side of the net, finishing with 74 blocks, 38 of them solos. She led the team in both categories while finishing tied atop the team list with 36 block assists. She added 87 digs this season.
 
The six-player all-freshman team featured two Bears. Tylee Barton, the setter, and Cassidy Rivas, an outside hitter, were on the team.
 
Barton recorded 1,106 assists, averaging 10.15 assists per set, which was second in the league. She led the Bears with 34 service aces and had 36 kills despite being the setter.
 
The Charleston, W.Va., native averaged 2.60 digs on the defensive end and had 17 blocks on the season.
 
Rivas led the team with 348 kills for an average of 3.28 per set. She had 18 assists and 18 service aces.
 
A native of Mt. Washington, Ohio, Rivas had 354 digs, which was good for second on the squad and an average of 3.34 per set. She also had 16 blocks.
 
Seven Bears made the all-academic team. To qualify, a player must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.25 and be at least a sophomore academically.
 
The Bears were Lillian Carpenter, a sophomore from Indianapolis; Emily Johnson, a sophomore from Betsy Layne; Gracey Lovgren, a junior from Stillman Valley, Ill.; Whitney Moore, a sophomore from Louisa; Jordan Roberts, a junior from Waleska, Ga.; Jada Slone, a junior from Prestonsburg; and Theresa Romero, a sophomore from Phoenix, Ariz.