CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (MCVL.org) - The Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League announced its four major awards on as selected by the head coaches of the league. In total, four individuals were selected for Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year.
The 2019 MCVL Offensive Player of the Year is Matt Reinsel of Carthage. In 26 matches this season, Reinsel finished with eight shy of 1000 assists averaging 11.95 assists per set. In league play, the senior raised his assists per set average to 12.42 with 323 total assists. Reinsel became the first four-time First Team All-Conference player in league history. During the season his 12.18 assists per set ranked first in the nation, as part of an offense that led Division III at 13.79 kills per set. The senior earned player of the week once in the 2019 season as Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
The 2019 MCVL Defensive Player of the Year is Eric Winter of Carthage. The sophomore from Wauwatosa, Wis. logged 38 total blocks averaging 1.41 blocks per set. His season-long efforts awarded him a spot on the 2019 MCVL All-Conference First team for the first time in his career. Five times Winter totaled at least five blocks in a match with six blocks in matches against Loras and Adrian.
The 2019 MCVL Rookie of the Year is Luis Zavala of Augustana. The freshman in conference play finished with 59 kills averaging 1.64 kills per set while also totaling 36 blocks. In nine MCVL matches played, Zavala finished with a .353 attacking percentage. For the entire 2019 campaign, Zavala logged 146 total kills, with 88 total blocks averaging 1.47 kills per set, .280 attacking percentage, and 0.89 blocks per set.
The 2019 MCVL Coach of the Year is Ryan LeGrand of Fontbonne. LeGrand took the Griffins, who were selected to finish sixth in the preseason poll, and turned them into conference tournament champions as Fontbonne upset No. 1 Carthage in the conference championship. In his first season as head coach, LeGrand led his team to their first MCVL conference championship and first trip to the NCAA Championships in program history.