2024-25 AUS women’s volleyball major award winners and all-stars announced: Saint Mary’s Emilia Mikanovich named conference MVP

Jess Burns

(HALIFAX, N.S.) Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2024-25 AUS women’s volleyball all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference’s six head coaches following regular season play. 

Saint Mary’s left side Emilia Mikanovich was named the most valuable player for the 2024-25 season.

Other major award winners include Saint Mary’s Grace Blaskovits, who was named AUS women’s volleyball rookie of the year; Dalhousie’s Kasandra Trenke, who earned the student-athlete community service award; and head coach of the Dalhousie Tigers, Patrick Murray, whose peers have selected him as the conference’s coach of the year.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Emilia Mikanovich, Saint Mary’s Huskies

Saint Mary’s Huskies left side Emilia Mikanovich has been named the AUS women’s volleyball most valuable player for the 2024-25 season.

A third-year biology student from Minsk, Belarus, Mikanovich led the Huskies to a 14-6 regular season record and a second-place finish in the conference standings. 

She led the conference this season in kills per set (3.39) and total attacks per set (9.66). 

She also finished second overall in points per set (3.9) and fifth in digs per set (3.42).

In addition to being selected as the AUS MVP, she earns a place on the AUS first team all-star squad today.

Mikanovich is the second consecutive player from Saint Mary’s to be named the AUS MVP, following Olivia Bell who took home the award last season. 

She’ll now look to become just the third AUS student-athlete to be named national volleyball player of the year award. Former Dalhousie standout Courtney Baker was named U SPORTS Player of the year in 2019-20 and Dalhousie’s Karin Massen earned the national award in 1981-82.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Grace Blaskovits, Saint Mary’s Huskies (Kristen Ryan Memorial Award)

Saint Mary’s Huskies setter Grace Blaskovits has been selected as the 2024-25 recipient of the Kristen Ryan Memorial Award for AUS women’s volleyball rookie of the year.

A science student from Kelowna, B.C., Blaskovits played in all 20 regular season matches for the Huskies. 

She finished second in the conference in assists per set (8.01) and third in service aces with 38 on the season. 

In 2013, this award was renamed in honour of former Cape Breton CAPERS player Kristen Ryan. A five-year member of the CAPERS women’s volleyball team, Ryan was a two-time Atlantic conference all-star and was named the AUS libero of the year in 2009-10. She passed away in 2012 following a motor vehicle accident.

Blaskovits is the sixth Saint Mary’s player to earn the conference rookie of the year nod and the first since 2018-19 when former Huskies standout Olivia Bell earned the honour. 

She now becomes the AUS nominee for the Mark Tennant Award for U SPORTS rookie of the year. No Atlantic conference player has ever won the national award.

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Kasandra Trenke, Dalhousie Tigers (Erin Bursey Memorial Award)

Dalhousie Tigers middle Kasandra Trenke is the 2024-25 recipient of the Erin Bursey Memorial Award, given to the women’s volleyball student-athlete who shows outstanding achievements in three areas: volleyball, academics and community involvement.

A third-year microbiology and immunology student from Calgary, Alta. and one of the Tigers’ team captains, Trenke excelled on the court and in the classroom this season, while also volunteering her time in her community. 

She finished the regular season with the best hitting percentage in the conference (.366)—the fourth best in U SPORTS and was also named an AUS second team all-star today.

In the classroom, Trenke boasts a 4.18 GPA. She is a two-time Academic All-Canadian on pace to repeat for a third time this year.

Her extensive volunteer work includes helping to run the Special Tigers program which runs events that allow youth with special needs to partner with varsity athletes to share their love of sports.

Trenke lends her time to several other on-campus initiatives, including Extra Awesome Dalhousie (a program created to celebrate the abilities of individuals with Down syndrome), and SPRING Dalhousie (Students Pairing to Reach Individual’s Needs and Goals).

Off campus, Trenke also volunteers with Ronald McDonald House Charities.

“Kasandra exemplifies the qualities that we hope to find in all student-athletes,” said Tigers head coach Patrick Murray. “A natural leader, Kasandra’s contributions to our team’s culture and success extend well beyond the court. In what has been her most successful athletic season with the Tigers, she remains committed to continuing her academic excellence and devoted to community service.”

Trenke now becomes the AUS nominee for the U SPORTS Therese Quigley Award, which has been won by an AUS player eight times—most recently Saint Mary’s Madison Hann last season. 

COACH OF THE YEAR: Patrick Murray, Dalhousie Tigers

In his first season at the helm of the Dalhousie Tigers women’s volleyball program, Patrick Murray has been chosen by his peers as the AUS coach of the year.

Prior to his appointment as head coach, Murray served as a Tigers assistant coach for 10 seasons. 

This year, Murray’s Tigers finished the 2024-25 regular season atop the AUS standings with a 16-4 record.

The team led U SPORTS in digs this season (1,397), as well as total attacks (2,818). They led the Atlantic conference in points per set (15.4), assists per set (11.10), and kills per set (11.72), and boasted the best hitting percentage (.187).

Coach Murray now becomes the AUS nominee for U SPORTS coach of the year. Only three coaches from the Atlantic conference have ever won the national award: current Acadia Axewomen bench boss Michelle Wood last season, former Dalhousie coach Rick Scott in 2016-17 and Moncton’s Monette Boudreau-Carroll in 2007-08.

2024-25 AUS FIRST AND SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS AND ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

First Team All-Stars

• Emilia Mikanovich, Saint Mary’s (3rd year – Minsk, Belarus)
• Lydia Grawer, Memorial (4th year – St. Louis, Missouri)
• Lydia Green, UNB (4th year – Bedford, N.S.)
• Alena Piatukhova, Saint Mary’s (3rd year – Minsk, Belarus)
• Alexia Lemay-Evans, Acadia (3rd year – Azilda, Ont.)
• Ella Hornby, Dalhousie (4th year – Calgary, Alta.)
• Courtney Hodder, Memorial (3rd year – Main Point, N.L.)

Second Team All-Stars

• Grace Calnan, Dalhousie (5th year – Cole Harbour, N.S.)
• Heather Benko, UNB (3rd year – Sechelt, B.C.)
• Karen Greek, Memorial (3rd year – Mount Pearl, N.L.)
• Kasandra Trenke, Dalhousie (3rd year – Calgary, Alta.)
• Jenna Adams, UNB (3rd year – Truro, N.S.)
• Grace Blaskovits, Saint Mary’s (1st year – Kelowna, B.C.)
• Jenna Lake, Acadia (4th year – Conception Bay South, N.L.)

All-Rookie Team

• Grace Blaskovits, Saint Mary’s (1st year – Kelowna, B.C.)
• Mia Lemay-Evans, Acadia (1st year – Azilda, Ont.)
• Quinn McAleer, Dalhousie (1st year – Calgary, Alta.)
• Olivia DeDecker, Memorial (1st year – Kipling, Sask.)

SCHEDULE FOR SEMI-FINAL ROUND OF THE 2025 AUS BELL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Semifinal Series A (Best 2-of-3) – Dalhousie (1) vs. Memorial (4)

Game 1: Friday, Feb. 21 – Memorial at Dalhousie, 7 p.m. AST

Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 22 – Memorial at Dalhousie, 7 p.m. AST

Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 23 – Memorial at Dalhousie, 3 p.m. AST* 
(*if necessary) 

Semifinal Series B (Best 2-of-3) – Saint Mary’s (2) vs. UNB (3)

Game 1: Saturday, Feb. 22 – UNB at Saint Mary’s, 7 p.m. AST

Game 2: Sunday, Feb. 23 – UNB at Saint Mary’s, 7 p.m. AST

Game 3: Monday, Feb. 24 – UNB at Saint Mary’s 7 p.m. AST*
(*if necessary) 

The winners of each series will advance to the best 2-of-3 final round of the 2025 Bell AUS Women’s Volleyball Championship. All games will be webcast at www.AUStv.ca. 

Both the AUS champion and runner up will advance to the U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championship being hosted by the University of Manitoba March 14-15 in Winnipeg, Man.