Davis, Steinbrecher Pick Up Major Sun Belt Awards, Three Dukes Tabbed All-Conference

NEW ORLEANS – Sophie Davis and Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher picked up major Sun Belt awards while three athletes were tabbed as All-Conference team members, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.

Davis earned the Defensive Player of the Year title while Steinbrecher picked up the Coach of the Year award in their first season in the Sun Belt. Miëtte Veldman and Davis made the All-Conference First Team and Caroline Dozier picked up Second Team honors.

Middle blocker Davis led the conference in blocks for a majority of the season, averaging 1.37 blocks per set to round off the regular season. That ranks 18^th in the nation, while her 126 total blocks comes in at 31^st nationally. Offensively, Davis ranks first in the conference in hitting percentage at .407, 16^th nationally. The Florida native picked up Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors November 1.

In her first season in the Sun Belt, Coach Steinbrecher led the Dukes to the program's highest ever RPI, coming in at 29 at the end of the regular season. JMU's 21-4 season and 15-1 conference records put it at the top of the Sun Belt and the program's highest ever win-loss percentage at .840. The team also led the conference in blocks per set for the entirety of the season, ending up averaging 2.67. Steinbrecher coached the Dukes to five conference weekly awards this season.

Two-time Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week Veldman ranked third in the conference in kills per set at 4.19 and set a career high 30 kills against Marshall. The outside hitter had a hitting percentage of .298 and led the team with 373 total kills. She ranks 27^th in the nation in kills per set and 36^th in points per set.

Setter Dozier tabbed her first all-conference honor after tallying an impressive 873 assists this season. She earned a Setter of the Week recognition after racking up 106 assists in the weekend against Marshall. Dozier also hit the 2,000 set mark that weekend, becoming the tenth Duke to record that many.

After winning the regular season, the Dukes will play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Friday at 3:30 PM EST against the winner of the match on Thursday between Southern Miss and Georgia Southern. All matches in the tournament will be streamed on ESPN+.

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