Widhalm Named Freshman of the Year, Joins Murray with All-Heart Honors

BALDWIN CITY - Baker's Aby Widhalm was selected as the 2024 Heart Volleyball Freshman of the Year as the conference announced its 2024 All-Heart Teams and postseason awards on Tuesday afternoon.

Along with her award, Widhalm was named to the All-Heart First Team, while teammate Kylie Murray earned honorable-mention honors.

In her first season out of Pleasant Hill, Mo., Widhalm played in all 26 games, totaled 321 kills and marked a hitting percentage of .229 this fall with her 3.28 kills per set ranking top-10 among conference hitters. She registered a double-double in nine of her last 13 games of the year, including a match at Peru State where she logged season-high numbers in both kills (24) and digs (28).

Murray, a sophomore from Florissant, Mo., recorded 157 kills, 150 digs and 30 blocks this year, while also appearing in all 26 matches. She nearly matched her season mark in kills from her freshman campaign where she finished with 159 kills.

Baker closed out the 2024 season with a record of 11-15, marking the most wins for the program since 2019, while going 4-13 in conference play. The Wildcats picked up seven wins inside the Collins Center which is the most since 2018 when Baker won 12 games at home.

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