RAPID CITY, S.D. – Wednesday morning brought a significant announcement from the D2CCA-the unveiling of its all-region teams.
South Dakota Mines is part of the South Central Region along with the rest of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and the Lone Star Conference. It was represented on the teams, with
Hannah Benes and
Alessandra Meoni named to the second team, a prestigious and significant achievement.
For the Hardrockers, this is a historic moment.
Hannah Benes and
Alessandra Meoni's selection to the D2CCA All-Region teams marks the first time in the program's history that an athlete, let alone two were selected to receive the honor.
Hannah Benes follows up her RMAC Defensive Player of the Year and first team all-conference nod award with her first all-region selection. Benes had a stellar season and helped lead South Dakota Mines to the conference lead in digs per set and team digs. Benes earned two RMAC Defensive Player of the Week awards throughout the season and averaged 4.90 digs per set, which was third in the RMAC. The 2023 second-team all-conference selection remains a terror behind the service line, leading the league with .54 aces per set, 27th at the NCAA Division II level.
Following back-to-back years of being an all-conference selection and an honorable mention on the 2023 AVCA All-Region and All-American teams, Meoni finally earned D2CCA recognition.
Alessandra Meoni averaged 4.06 kills per set, second in the conference by just .01 points behind the leader. Points per set were also close as Meoni finished just .05 points behind the leader, averaging 4.64 points per set. Those numbers are both 25th in NCAA Division II.
The entire teams can be found
here or below.
Player of the Year: Riley Anderson, MSU Denver
D2CCA Volleyball First Team All-South Central Region
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
School |
Hometown |
| L/DS |
Caleigh Enax |
Sr. |
Angelo State |
Haslet, Texas |
| MB |
Taytum Stow |
Jr. |
West Texas A&M |
Hereford, Texas |
| MB |
Amelia Davis |
Sr. |
Regis |
Denver, Colo. |
| OH |
Riley Anderson |
Sr. |
MSU Denver |
Monument, Colo. |
| OH |
Delaney Fuller |
5th |
Dallas Baptist |
San Juan Capistrano, Calif. |
| OH |
Sydney Leffler |
Sr. |
Colorado Mesa |
Eaton, Colo. |
| S |
Sabrina VanDeList |
R-Sr. |
Colorado Mesa |
Severance, Colo. |
D2CCA Volleyball Second Team All-South Central Region
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
School |
Hometown |
| L/DS |
Hannah Benes |
Jr. |
South Dakota Mines |
Antioch, Ill. |
| MB |
Braiziah Dixon |
Jr. |
Regis |
St. Paul, Minn. |
| MB |
Ayanna Jackson |
Sr. |
Texas A&M – Kingsville |
San Antonio, Texas |
| OH |
Alessandra Meoni |
Sr. |
South Dakota Mines |
Padova, Italy |
| OH |
Madi Parrish |
So. |
Angelo State |
Saginaw, Texas |
| OH |
Evelyn Torres |
Gr. |
Angelo State |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| S |
Adeline Ortman |
S |
Angelo State |
Rhome, Texas |
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 13 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.
