The Louisian Tech Men's Club Volleyball team has had one incredible season. Throughout the year, they have experienced a lot of highs and a lot of lows. However, the team's commitment and dedication to not only finishing the season, but continuing to fight until the last whistle is what sets them apart from all of the others. Some of these players had to step into roles that could be considered unfiar to ask of them, but they took that challange and ran with it!
This year, the coaches have decided to continue the new tradition of hosting an awards banquet. The team ate at a local steakhouse in Forth Worth, Texas, the night before their Conference Championship Tournament. Meyer, Meyer, LaCroix & Hixson presented the team's season awards at the banquet. Here are the awards and their receipients.
Kershaw Award
The first award of its kind, named on behalf of the Kershaw Family for their incredible support this year. The award goes to a person that shows support for his team at all times. Through the good and the bad, he is always ready for the next whistle. He leads, stays controlled, and pushes the team to always strive for better. This award was given to Jacob Brown.
Josh Holland Award
The next award was special to Head Coach, Caleb Wug. It goes to a player that has had to step into an extremely dominant role without much notice. He has shown true hard work and understanding for the position and has been pushed extremely hard by coaches and players - but with an incredible outcome. It was the coach's privalege to present the Josh Holland Award to Zane Sargent.
Offensive Player of the Year
Offensive Player of the Year is always a tough award to give. There are so many players that have earned this award. This award went to two players that have led their teams offensively. They are players on the court that others look up to to lead the team to success. It isn't about just a kill count, it's about the decision making on the court and ability to understant what helps the team succeed in each point. This year, the two coaches have chosen the recipients of this award to be Colin Clement and Stephen Kershaw.
Defensive Player of the Year
Defense is a hard concept to pick up on. It takes time. But, when it does "click," it's the difference between fighting to survive and fighting to win. These two players have stepped up their game and have truly learned what it means to play aggressive. This year, the Defensive Player of the Year awards went to Drew Thompson and TK Kittsubcharoen.
All Dawg Award
This new award is a commemorative one that goes to a player that has shown consistency and understanding on and off the court. He always puts the team and the win before himself. He shows hard work and is always willing to do what is necessary for the betterment of the team without complaining. He always has a positive mindset and pushes himself to excel at any position he gets put in. This year's All Dawg Award was presented to Logan Brazzel.
MVP
The last team award is always the big one. This player has rightfully earned this award with his incredible work effort on and off the court. He is constantly trying to learn more about and improve his gameplay. If you look at his phone, probably 60% of his videos are clips of games that we have played throughout the year. He is always reliable, he is dominantly consistent on offense and defense, and he is always pushing the team to do even better than the last play. He always has the fire to win and has the energy to match it. This year, Coach Caleb was honored to present the 2023 MVP Award to Logan Sanders.
