MIDDLETOWN, Ohio- The River States Conference unveiled the award winners for the 2024 men's volleyball season Thursday afternoon, announcing the top performers for the season 24 hours ahead of the conference semifinals Friday evening in Georgetown. Georgetown's Finn Heinemann was honored as the top player in the conference, and also took home Setter of the Year honors. In total, Georgetown emerged with four of the seven awards, with the RedStorm of Rio Grande winning two and the Cumberland Phoenix taking one.
Finn Heinemann of Georgetown College was the top honoree in the conference, picking up both Player and Setter of the Year honors. The senior currently leads the River States Conference with 10.42 assists per set, a total that ranks fourth in the nation. Heinemann is the only player in the nation to log more than ten digs per set and account for more than 110 points on the season, a total made possible by his 52 service aces (which ranks seventh in the nation), 43 kills, and 28 blocks.
Cumberland's Joao Infante was honored by the league as the 2025 Attacker of the Year. After coming in from Park University, Infante exploded onto the scene as one of the nation's top attackers. Entering play on Friday night, the junior leads the nation with 457 kills and is one of only two players to exceed more than 400 kills. He has logged 20 or more kills in six matches this season, including in three of Cumberland's last four matches.
Maaz Khan from Rio Grande was named as the league's Defender of the Year from the libero position. The Pakistani freshman played a major role in Rio Grande's top four finish, logging 435 digs - a total that leads the nation. Khan, who is one of only two players in NAIA volleyball with more than 400 digs, also leads the nation with 4.03 digs per set - the only player in the nation to average more than four digs per set.
The award for the top Freshman in the conference was given to Georgetown's Kristjan Unt. A native of Tartu, Estonia, Unt averaged nearly three kills per set for the Tigers, hitting at a .229 clip. Unt has come on strong in the final weeks of the regular season, and has recorded at least ten kills in each of Georgetown's last six matches, all Tiger wins.
The head Tiger at Georgetown College, Jack Stark, was honored as the league's Coach of the Year. Stark took over the Georgetown program in July, and was tasked with keeping the program at its national championship level. The Tigers logged a 21-4 regular season record, including a 15-1 conference mark that earned Georgetown the RSC regular season title. Georgetown enters the weekend ranked 11th in the nation, winners of nine straight matches.
The award for the top assistant coach in the league went to Rio Grande's Andres Morales. Morales, a native of Quibdo-Choco, Columbia, is in his first season as a member of the RedStorm coaching staff. With Morales on the bench, the RedStorm went 8-8 in conference play (up from 3-7 in the Mid-South last season) and earned a home match in the RSC Tournament.
The 2025 River States Conference Tournament began Tuesday night, as St. Mary-of-the-Woods and Cumberland moved on to the semifinals. The Pomeroys defeated Rio Grande in four sets, while Cumberland knocked off Brescia in four sets. Rio Grande will take on host Georgetown in the opening game of Friday's final four, with a matchup between Cumberland and second-seeded Campbellsville serving as the nightcap.