All-Conference Teams

ROCHESTER, NY – Senior Tessa Grover was named the Empire 8 Player of the Year and the Nazareth coaching staff, led by Tara Jehlen, was tabbed Coaching Staff of the Year to highlight the year-end awards on Wednesday as announced by the conference office. Joining Grover on the First Team was Leah Fusilli, while freshman Alana Lucey was Second Team, and Jenna Mattison Third Team. In addition, Ella Kules was Nazareth's representative on the Sportswoman of the Year Team. 
 
Jehlen earns her first coaching staff recognition in just her second season with the Golden Flyers. Nazareth had a strong turnaround from 2023 when it went 9-18 overall and 5-3 in conference play. The Golden Flyers were near-perfect in league play in 2024, going 10-1, to earn the outright regular season championship, Nazareth's first since 2003. During the season, Jehlen's squad won 12 games in a row, the most since the 2013 season. 
 
Grover is Nazareth's first Player of the Year since Maria Alloco in 2014. The do-it-all senior has registered 18 double-doubles in 23 matches this season, including four triple-doubles.  The now four-time First Team All-Conference All-Star was third in the conference in hitting percentage at .323 over 41 sets. Grover was fifth in the conference in kills per set at 3.20, ninth in blocks with 26 (.66 average), and fifth in points with 157.5 (131 kills, 12 service aces, 25 block assists and 2 solo blocks). For her career, Grover has 1,804 assists, 968 kills, 718 digs, 258 blocks, and 135 service aces.
 
Fusilli earns all-conference honors for the second year in a row after being a third team selection in 2023. The junior ranked in the Empire 8 in two major categories with 3.20 digs per set (12^th) and service aces with 21 (10th at .53 per set). In conference play, Fusilli averaged 2.76 points per set.
 
Lucey earns a nod on the second team after leading the entire conference in blocks (1.03 per set) on 10 solo blocks and 31 block assists. The Fairport, NY native averaged 2.04 points per set in 11 conference games.
 
Mattison was tabbed third team after leading the Golden Flyers with 3.76 digs per set. She also had 17 service aces. 
 
Kules is Nazareth's Representative on the Sportswoman of the Year Team. One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2024 Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Sportswoman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.