2024 WAC Championship Box Score

ARLINGTON, Texas – No. 1 UT Arlington completed the undefeated conference season and won the 2024 WAC Volleyball Tournament championship over No. 2 Grand Canyon in a dramatic fifth set comeback (20-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-23, 16-14). With the victory, UT Arlington earned an automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship.
 
For the second straight game the Mavericks were down to their final match point and on the brink of elimination, as UT Arlington trailed GCU 14-11 in the final set and was behind 2-1 entering the fourth set. However, the Mavericks refused to give in and showed their resiliency to come back and win their first WAC Volleyball Tournament. UT Arlington won its first conference tournament championship since 2002 and will make its ninth all-time appearance in the NCAA Championship.
 
The WAC Player of the Year Brianna Ford piled on the 2024 and career accolades by being named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after recording 25 kills, 16 digs, five blocks, and two aces in the championship match. Ford was joined on the WAC All-Tournament team by freshman outside hitter and WAC Co-Freshman of the Year Sjakkie Donkers, who notched a double-double on the biggest stage with 12 kills and 26 digs. Also on the all-tournament team from UT Arlington was the WAC Setter of the Year Mollie Blank, who posted 56 of the team’s 63 assists in the match, her second highest assist count of the season, along with 13 digs for a double-double. Paige Reagor and Evyn Snook tallied 10-plus kills apiece with 13 and 10, respectively.
 
Making the WAC All-Tournament team for runner-up Grand Canyon was senior outside hitter Tatum Parrott and graduate outside hitter Ashley Lifgren. Parrott collected her second best kill performance of the season with 25 kills along with nine digs and four blocks. Lifgren recorded 13 kills for a hitting percentage of .387 on the night. Graduate setter Ava Mason posted the most assists for the Lopes with 25 and graduate libero Mykenna Nelson led in the digs category with 19.
 
Next for UT Arlington is the NCAA DI Women’s Volleyball Selection Show. The show is set for Dec. 1 at 5 PM CT on ESPN, with the semifinals and national championship scheduled for December 19-22 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
 
2024 WAC Volleyball All-Tournament Team
Madison Gilliland, Gr., MB, California Baptist
Bella Wooden, Jr., MB, Utah Valley
Ashley Lifgren, Gr., OH, Grand Canyon
Tatum Parrott, Jr., OH, Grand Canyon
Mollie Blank, Gr., S, UT Arlington
Sjakkie Donkers, Fr., OH, UT Arlington
Brianna Ford, Gr., OH, UT Arlington – Most Outstanding Player