NEWPORT NEWS, Va.— Dayton redshirt junior Jamie Peterson was voted the Atlantic 10 Volleyball Player of the Year while her senior teammate Bridget Doherty, Dayton Coach Tim Horsmon and freshmen Whitley Moody of Fordham and Isa Lopez from La Salle all claimed major awards.

Doherty was named Setter of the Year, Moody garnered Rookie of the Year, Lopez was the Libero of the Year and Horsmon was chosen by his peers as the A-10 Coach of the year. The Atlantic 10 announced the five major awards along with the All-Conference, All-Rookie and All-Academic teams Thursday prior to the start of the 2020-21 A-10 Volleyball Championship, which begins Friday at the Frericks Center in Dayton, Ohio. Six freshmen, all of whom made the All-Rookie team, also earned one of 14 slots on the two All-Conference teams.

The major awards, All-Conference Teams and All-Rookie Team were voted on by the A-10’s head volleyball coaches. The All-Academic team was selected by the volleyball media relations directors.

Peterson, who was also named to the All-Conference First Team, ranked second in the league and led Dayton in kills per set (4.33) and points per set (5.28) and first in service aces per set (.63). Her points per set ranked seventh nationally and she was sixth nationally in aces per set. She was also fifth in the A-10 in hitting percentage (.318). An outside hitter from West Liberty, Ohio, Peterson was also named A-10 Player of the Year in 2019 as a redshirt sophomore.

Doherty, a setter from Overland Park, Kan., was second in the Atlantic 10 in assists with 10.32 per set and fourth in total assists with 423, helping Dayton rank 18^th nationally in assists per set. She was named the setter for the All-Conference First Team and the All-Academic Team.

Moody, an outside hitter from San Jose, Calif., ranked third in the Atlantic 10 and led Fordham in both kills (4.17/set, 125 total) and points (4.8/set, 144 total), and she was 10^th in the league in hitting percentage (.264). She was also top 50 in the nation in both kills and points, as well as total attacks (348), where she rated second in the league. Moody was also named to the All-Conference First Team and the All-Rookie Team.
 
A libero from Richardson, Texas, Lopez was seventh nationally and led the Atlantic 10 with 5.87 digs per set. She was also named to the All-Conference Second Team and the All-Rookie Team.
 
Horsmon earned his fifth A-10 Coach of the Year honor leading Dayton to an 11-1 overall record and 8-1 in league play. The Flyers rank top 20 in six national statistics categories (aces per set, assists per set, hitting percentage, kills per set, won-loss percentage and opponent hitting percentage), and they lead the Atlantic 10 in all six. The Maryland native is in his 12^th overall season with the Flyers.

Joining Doherty, Peterson and Moody on the All-Conference First Team are Lexie Almodovar (Dayton), Elizabeth Osborn (La Salle), Maya Taylor (Saint Louis) and Paula Neciporuka (VCU). The All-Conference Second Team consists of Amelia Moore (Dayton), Claire Chaplinsky (Rhode Island), Kennedy Cordia (Saint Louis), Jillian Mattingly (Saint Louis), Lauren King (VCU), Jasmine Knight (VCU) and Lopez.

The All-Academic team includes Maura Collins (Dayton), Marlanna Bozicevich (George Mason), Ella Ratzloff (Rhode Island), Doherty, Osborn, Cordia, Taylor and Neciporuka. The All-Rookie team is made up of Almodovar, Moody, Lopez, Mattingly, King, Knight and Alayna Yates (Dayton).

The 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Volleyball Championship begins with two Friday matches between No. 2 VCU and No. 3 Rhode Island in the first semifinal at noon and No. 1 Dayton and No. 4 Fordham in the second semifinal at 4:00 pm. The championship final will be played Saturday at 12:00 pm ET. All three matches of the A-10 championship will be streamed live on ESPN+.