HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas – The Great American Conference has selected five Ouachita Volleyball players to its 2023 all-conference team, and Tiger setter Coutrney Hanson has been voted the GAC's setter of the year.
 
The All-GAC teams and special awards were announced Wednesday evening on the eve of the 2023 Great American Conference Championship Tournament, which is set to begin Thursday morning at the Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
 
Courtney Hanson was named 2023 GAC Setter of the Year and earned first team All-GAC honors for her efforts this season. The sophomore leads the league in total assists with 1,090 and assists per set with 9.48. Hanson's assists have helped the Tigers lead the conference in total kills and hitting percentage this season.
 
The Arlington, Texas native dished out a career-high 59 assists against Arkansas Tech on September 26, this was one of two 50-plus assist performances for Hanson this season. Hanson started all 31 matches for the Tigers this season and never recorded less than 20 assists in a match, averaging just over 35 per match. She is also tied for the team lead and third in the conference in aces with 40 and ranks second on the team in digs. Hanson used the combination of assists and digs to rack up 13 double-doubles throughout the regular season.
 
Four Tigers were named to the 2023 All-GAC Honorable Mention Team: Emily Adams, Riley Braziel, Leah Gardner, and Kayla Steinmeyer.
 
Adams, a sophomore from Arlington, Texas, was one of three Tigers to compete in all 31 matches this season and was second on the team in hitting percentage with .306, kills with 270, and blocks with 59. The .306 hitting percentage ranks sixth in the GAC.
 
Gardner, a freshman from Crandall, Texas, was the other Tiger along with Hanson to start every single match this season for Ouachita. The freshman led the team in blocks with 79, the most by a Tiger in a single season since 2019. Gardner was also third on the team in kills (242) and hitting percentage (.302) which ranks seventh in the conference.
 
Braziel, a sophomore from Decatur, Texas, started in 28 matches for the Tigers this season, racking up 223 kills to rank fourth on the team. She is tied for third in the GAC in aces and aces per set with 40 and 0.40 respectively. Braziel racked up a team season-high 19 kills against Arkansas Tech on September 26.
 
Steinmeyer, a senior from St. Charles, Missouri, saw action in all 31 matches for the Tigers, leading the team in kills with 277. The senior recorded 10 or more kills 15 times this season, with a season-high 17 coming against Henderson State on November 6. Steinmeyer also earned GAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors for her work in the classroom.
 
The No. 7 Tigers take on No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist in the first round on the Great American Conference Championship tournament tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs, Arkansas.