Fayette, Mo. - Seven members of the Central Methodist Women's Volleyball program earned Heart of America All-Conference honors, which were announced by the conference office Monday.
It marks the seventh consecutive year the Eagles have landed seven players on Heart All-Conference teams.
Outside hitters Annabelle Maassen and Joana Milho earned first team honors, while Rita Campos and Martina Gonzato were named to the second team.
Freshman setter Giulia Gainelli landed on the third team while both Mia Trankler and Gabi Owczarek earned an honorable mention nod.
Additionally, Dustin Carrier was named the Heart Assistant Coach of the Year.
Maassen is now a two-time Heart All-Conference First Team selection, as she also earned the honor as a senior in 2023. She joins former Eagles Callie Henson and Krystal Brauner as the only three known players in program history to earn all-conference honors five times.
The graduate middle turned outside hitter has started 32 of Central's 33 matches this season, playing in 109 total sets. She has set single-season career bests in kills (253), kills/set (2.32), digs/set (2.98) and points (310). Maassen has produced double digit kills 10 times. Additionally, the super senior was also named the Heart Attacker of the Week for the first time in her career on Oct. 14 after averaging 3.44 kills/set and compiling a hitting percentage of .321 in Central's three wins against No. 17, Clarke, and Mount Mercy.
Milho joins Maassen as a first team all-conference selection for the first time in her career. She previously earned third-team honors her freshman and sophomore seasons. The junior has played in all 33 matches and 115 sets for Central. She enters national tournament play posting a .208 hitting percentage and averaging 3.15 kills/set. The native of Lisboa, Portugal leads the team in kills (362) and kills/set. Mihlo had posted double-digit kills 18 times including a career-best 23 kills against Benedictine on Oct. 4. She is also a two-time Heart Attacker of the Week.
Campos, Central's senior libero earns all-conference honors for the first time in her career. After coming to CMU as an outside hitter her sophomore year, the native of Porto, Portugal transitioned to libero in 2024. Campos has appeared in all 33 matches and 115 total sets, racking up 548 total digs and averaging 4.77 digs/set. She also dished out 130 assists. Campos was tabbed as the Heart Defender of the Week after averaging 5.71 digs/set in the Eagles' four matches against Missouri Baptist, Texas A&M Texarkana, Columbia College, and Bethel Sept. 5-7.
Gonzato earned second team honors in her first season in an Eagle uniform. The sophomore has hit .237 while averaging 2.27 kills/set. The Vicenza, Italy native has appeared in 27 of Central's 33 matches and was named the Heart Attacker of the Week on Oct. 28 after averaging 4.88 kills/set in CMU's three wins over Missouri Valley, Grand View, and William Penn. She produced the best game of her career on the road in Des Moines, registering 20 kills which put her in a tie her for the fifth most kills in a four-set match in program history.
Gainelli was a welcome addition for the Eagles in 2024, as the freshman setter averaged 5.37 assists/set and 2.44 digs/set. She tallied 30 plus assists on two different occasions, including a career-high 33 against MidAmerica Nazarene in the Heart Conference Tournament Quarterfinals on Nov. 12. To date, Gainelli has dished out 612 assists, putting her just two shy of cracking the program top 10 list for single-season assists.
Owczarek, a native of Łódź, Poland, has appeared in 30 matches and 95 sets for the Eagles. She enters national tournament play averaging 4.93 assists/set. Owczarek has also matched her career high in service aces with 30, and has produced the best defensive season of her career, averaging a career-high 1.96 digs/set.
Tranker has appeared in all of Central's 33 matches. Offensively, the midddle hitter has posted a .277 hitting percentage and is averaging 1.42 kills/set. Defensively, she leads the Eagles in total blocks (86) and blocks/set (0.78).
Assistant Coach Dustin Carrrier proved to be a vital piece to Head Coach Coleman Lee's coaching staff. At his previous instituion, the Florida native had a track record of success as an assistant coach and has translated that success into the Eagles program in 2024. Carrier helped lead the Eagles to a Heart of America Regular Season Championship, the first time the program has completed the feat since the 2004 campaign.
The Eagles will turn their attention to national tournament play as they play Nelson University in the Opening Round of this year's national championship.
First serve is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23 in Waxahachie, Texas.
To view the complete list of this year's 2024 Heart Volleyball All-Conference selections, please click here.
#TakeFlight
