The conference office has released their postseason honors for the 2022 season. Two Blue Raiders were honored with three selections by Conference USA's coaches on Thursday.
Senior Kayla Henley has seen tremendous growth this year, earning her All-Conference USA Second Team honors. Many saw this coming for the six-rotation right-side after being named Preseason All-Conference earlier this season. The three-time All-Tournament Team member from this preseason has seen single-season career highs in kills, hitting percentage, digs, digs per set, solo blocks, total blocks, and points.
Among right-side hitters in conference, Henley ranks first in total digs while also ranking second in hitting percentage and digs per set. The Little River, South Carolina native is second on the team in kills, kills per set, digs, digs per set, points, and points per set. Earlier this season, Henley set a career-high in kills with 21 on a .571 hitting percentage in a win over Belmont. She also saw a career-high in digs with 19 in the team's first Power Five win since 2014, against a Boston College team that was 10-0. Sticking to the defensive side, Kayla blocked a career-high six balls in their win over Nevada in the third match of the season.
Henley will be returning next season and is looking to be the first Blue Raider to receive multiple all-conference selections since Chelsea Ross in 2014 and 2015.
Freshman Adri Rhoda was named All-Conference USA Second Team and All-Freshman. Rhoda is the only true freshman to make the All-Conference team this year and has solidified her name with some of the best players in the conference in just her first semester on campus.
The list of accomplishments for the Hutchinson, Minnesota native does not run out. This year Rhoda was a six-time C-USA Freshman of the Week honoree, which led all freshman and was one short of being tied for the most in conference history, and a two-time All-Tournament Team selection. Rhoda currently holds program records for single-match aces (tied), single-season aces, single-season aces per set, career aces per set, and single-match solo blocks (tied) in the 25-point era.
Among freshmen in conference, Rhoda led in kills, kills per set, service aces, aces per set, solo blocks, points, and points per set. She was also third in hitting percentage among freshman, and first among freshman hitters.
The Blue Raider leader in hitting and scoring is one of four players in the nation averaging at least .65 aces per set and 3.00 kills per set. Nationally, Rhoda also ranks fourth in the nation for total aces and sixth for aces per set.
Rhoda joins Samira Lawson Body as the only Blue Raiders to earn multiple postseason awards from Conference USA in a single season.
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