HPU Volleyball’s Molly Livingston Named Big South Player of the Year

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Senior Molly Livingston was named Big South Player of the Year and four other Panthers took home Big South awards, the conference announced today (Nov. 14). Sophomore Abby Bottomley was named All-Big South First-Team, senior Jordan Hefner received All-Big South Second Team honors, freshman Madison Smith took home All-Big South Freshman team honors and senior Katie Tylman grabbed All-Big South Honorable Mention and All-Academic Team.

Livingston led the Big South in hitting percentage this season at .367. She logged 2.75 kills per set, 0.98 blocks per set and 0.40 service aces per set, which all ranked in the top 10 of the Big South. Livingston recorded a season-high 17 kills in the 3-2 win at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). The Sun Prairie, Wis. native posted four of the top 10 single-match hitting percentages in the Big South this season. The senior middle blocker had a career-high 11 blocks against USC Upstate (Oct. 10) this season. Livingston was named Big South Player of the Week twice this season. She was a First-Team Big South selection in the 2016 and 2017 seasons and a second-team selection in 2015.

Bottomley was the other First-Team selection for the Panthers for the second-straight year. She led the Big South and currently ranks 26th in the NCAA in digs per set at 5.33. She logged a program-record 42 digs at ETSU (Oct. 9). This was the highest individual dig total by any player in the Big South this season. The Virginia Beach, Va. native recorded 20 or more digs in nine matches this season. She was named Big South Defensive player of the Week four times this season. She was named Big South Freshman of the Year and All-Big South First Team last season.

Hefner led the Big South in hitting percentage in conference matches at .429 and ranked second in overall matches with a .357 hitting percentage. She averaged 2.05 kills per set and .77 blocks per set. The Orange City, Fla. native finished the 2018 regular-season with a career-high 19 kills against Gardner-Webb. She was named All-Big South Honorable Mention in the 2016 season. She owns the program-record for blocks in a season at 143, which she had in 2016.

Smith averaged 2.46 kills per set on a .238 hitting percentage in her first season at High Point. She had a season-high 14 kills in the 3-2 win at ETSU. In nine matches, Smith logged ten or more kills. The Hilliard, Ohio native was named Freshman of the Week twice this season. She ranked eighth in the Big South matches in hitting percentage.

Tylman collected a Big South regular-season or post-season honor for the third straight year. She ranked ninth in the Big South in hitting percentage at .249. She logged 2.27 kills per set and 0.62 blocks per set on the season. In conference matches, she was sixth with a .299 hitting percentage. The Charlotte, N.C. native has a 3.752 grade point average and is majoring in Business Administration. She was All-Big South Second Team in 2017 and earned all-tournament honors in the 2016 Big South Championship.

The Panthers will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 17 in Asheville, N.C., for the Big South Championship Semifinals. They await the winner of No. 4 and host UNC Asheville and No. 5 USC Upstate.

Full List of Panther Honorees:
Player of the Year
Molly Livingston | MB | Senior | Sun Prairie, Wis.

First-Team All-Conference
Abby Bottomley | Libero | Sophomore | Virginia Beach, Va.

Second-Team All-Conference
Jordan Hefner | MB | Senior | Orange City, Fla.

Honorable Mention All-Conference
Katie Tylman | RS | Senior | Charlotte, N.C.

All-Freshman Team
Madison Smith | OH | Freshman | Hilliard, Ohio

All-Academic Team
Katie Tylman