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Rio Grande was represented on the All-RSC Women's Volleyball teams by, from left to right, (top row) Elle McLoughlin and Kelli Stewart; (bottom row) Averie Bruce and Jenna Harrison. McLoughlin was also named the league's Setter of the Year.
Rio Grande was represented on the All-RSC Women's Volleyball teams by, from left to right, (top row) Elle McLoughlin and Kelli Stewart; (bottom row) Averie Bruce and Jenna Harrison. McLoughlin was also named the league's Setter of the Year.
Posted: Nov 20, 2025

Quartet from Rio named All-RSC volleyball

Rio Grande/RSC Sports Information
     OXFORD, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande placed four players on the 2025 River States Conference Women's Volleyball All-Conference Teams recently announced by league officials.
     Senior setter Elle McLoughlin (Zanesville, OH) and junior right-side hitter Kelli Stewart (Waverly, OH) were named to the First Team, while junior middle blocker Averie Bruce (Baltimore, OH) and junior defensive specialist Jenna Harrison (Gallipolis, OH) were both Second Team picks.
     The quartet helped Rio Grande (26-12) to a runner-up finish in the RSC's East Division during the regular season, as well as a runner-up finish in the league's post-season tournament.
     The tournament run produced the first-ever berth to the NAIA National Championship for head coach Billina Cooper Donaldson's squad.
     Stewart has a team-high 374 kills and ranks second on the team with 307 digs, while McLoughlin has 1,104 assists, a team-high 46 service aces and 97 total blocks.
     McLoughlin was the only player in the conference to repeat as a major award winner, capturing her second straight Setter of the Year award. She was the RSC leader in assists per set.
     McLoughlin was also a dangerous presence at the net for the RedStorm, ranking seventh in the conference and first among setters in blocks per set.
     Bruce has 285 kills and 110 total blocks, while Harrison has a team-high 518 digs.
     Each of the three all-conference teams consisted of 14 players, regardless of position, with 42 total players honored by the conference. The teams are selected via a vote of conference head coaches.
     West Division champion Indiana University Kokomo, which also won the post-season tournament, led all schools in both first team selections - four - and total selections - seven.
Four schools followed the Cougars, with Indiana University Columbus, East Division champion Indiana University East, Indiana University Southeast and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College all earning five total All-Conference selections.
     Eleven of the 12 River States Conference schools placed at least one player on the All-Conference teams, with nine of the 12 members earning multiple selections.
     In addition to McLoughlin and Stewart, the All-RSC First Team included Cora Baker from IU Columbus; IU East's Ella Bickel; Aden Britt, Karla Melendez and Masa Pesic from SMWC; IU Southeast's Ella Brooks and Haley Jaster; Lexi Broyles, Mya Grigsby, Mia Niekamp and Allison Richman from IU Kokomo; and Shawnee State's Megan Steele.
     Joining Bruce and Harrison on the Second Team were Ruthie Bingham and Journee Brown from IU Columbus; IU Kokomo's Cali Cummings, Ryleigh Hamilton and Avery Littrell; Aislyn Hogan and Noema Philistin-Lynch from IU East; IU Southeast's Carly Mason and Madison Ramsey; Camille McIntosh from Shawnee State; WVU-Tech's Peydon Smith; and Leishmarie Virella of St. Mary-of-the-Woods.
     The Third Team was comprised of Brescia's Cheaney Archer, Campbell McBride and Francisca Sousa; Katelynn Boerger and Makaela Lovely from Shawnee State; Ivana Burgos of WVU Tech; Kentucky Christian's Ally Coriell; Ella Davidson from IU Southeast; IU Columbus' Sadie Egan and Bailey Stevens; Abby Herman and Amyra Lockett from IU East; St. Mary-of-the-Woods' Evelyn Morales; and Fragko Tseni of Oakland City.
     Melendez was honored as the top player in the conference, while Broyles was named Attacker of the Year.
     Bickel was named Defender of the Year and her teammate, Philistin-Lynch, was honored as the Freshman of the Year.
     IU Kokomo's Heather Hayes earned Coach of the Year honors and her assistant, Sarah Morin, picked up Assistant Coach of the Year recognition.
     Additionally, the RSC also announced the athletes recognized as their program's Champion of Character.
     Each team in each River States Conference-sponsored sport was asked to nominate one athlete as their Champion of Character. These student-athletes best represent the NAIA's Champions of Character program and its five core values of Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Servant Leadership and Sportsmanship.
     Bruce was Rio's representative on the list.