ENID, Okla. – SWOSU Volleyball collected five All-GAC selections, including the conference's Newcomer of the Year, at Tuesday's awards banquet ahead of the 2026 Great American Conference Tournament.
Layla Collins (Topeka, Kan.) earned the superlative award for Newcomer of the Year while also receiving All-GAC Honorable Mention recognition. In her first season with the Dawgs after transferring from Washburn, Collins led SWOSU in kills, averaging 3.38 per set, and points, averaging 3.79 per set. Both marks rank sixth in the conference. She added 20 service aces and started all 28 matches for the Bulldogs. Collins is SWOSU's first major conference award winner since the 2024 season, when the Dawgs captured Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year honors while winning the GAC Regular Season Championship.
Katja Blanchat (Lindsborg, Kan.) earned All-GAC First Team honors for the first time in her career after being named to the Second Team as a freshman last season. This year, she ranks second in the GAC with a .387 hitting percentage, a mark that would set a new SWOSU single-season record. She also ranks eighth in the league with 0.85 blocks per set and third on the team with 302.5 total points. Blanchat has recorded 13 matches with double-digit kills. In just the second match of the season, she hit .750 with 15 kills and zero errors, recording the highest single-match hitting percentage in SWOSU history.
Mackenzie Sims (Amarillo, Texas) improved upon her All-GAC Honorable Mention recognition from her freshman campaign, earning Second Team honors this season. She collected four GAC Setter of the Week awards, tying for the most in the conference alongside GAC Setter of the Year Emily Boyer. No other player earned more than one weekly honor. Sims has also recorded 17 assist-dig double-doubles and 11 performances with at least 40 assists in conference play alone. She averaged 10.42 assists per set, the second-highest mark in the conference and currently the second-highest single-season average in SWOSU history. She has totaled 1,084 assists this season, the third-most in Bulldog history.
Jenna Houk (Edmond, Okla.) earned the first All-GAC selection of her career, receiving Honorable Mention recognition. In her senior season, Houk is averaging 2.93 kills per set, the second-highest mark on the team, while adding 10 service aces. She has recorded double-digit kills in 13 matches, including a season-high 18 against Drury in a five-set victory.
Jada Permenter (Amarillo, Texas) earned the third All-GAC Honorable Mention selection of her career, having previously received the recognition as a freshman and junior. The senior has totaled 510 digs this season, averaging 4.90 per set, the fifth-highest mark in the conference. Permenter has recorded at least 20 digs in 13 matches, including two performances with 30 digs. One of those came in a three-set sweep over Henderson State. She has accumulated 2,078 career digs across four seasons, becoming just the second player in SWOSU history to surpass the 2,000-dig mark. She now sits fewer than 300 digs away from the program's all-time record.
In addition to the All-GAC selections, SWOSU placed 10 student-athletes on the GAC Academic Honor Roll. To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA and complete one year of full-time college residency. The Bulldogs recognized were Katja Blanchat, Layla Collins, Willow Deckinger, Alexia Ene, Jenna Houk, Libbie Hughs, Jada Permenter, Morgan Ritchie, Mackenzie Sims, and Sydnee Winfrey.
2026 All-Great American Conference Teams
GAC Player of the Year: Kate Wright, OH, Southern Nazarene
GAC Defensive Player of the Year: Patience Lewis, L, Southeastern Oklahoma State
GAC Setter of the Year: Emily Boyer, Oklahoma Baptist
GAC Newcomer of the Year: Layla Collins, OH, Southwestern Oklahoma State
GAC Coach of the Year: Meredith Fear, Harding
2026 ALL-GAC VOLLEYBALL FIRST TEAM - *UNANIMOUS SELECTION
MH Katja Blanchat Southwestern Oklahoma State So. Lindsborg, Kansas
S Emily Boyer Oklahoma Baptist Sr. Choctaw, Oklahoma
MB Sophie Henry Ouachita Baptist So. Waxahachie, Texas
RS Henley Hooks Arkansas Tech Sr. Benton, Arkansas
OH Gabby Jones Southeastern Oklahoma State So. Temple, Texas
OH Rylee Unruh Oklahoma Baptist Sr. Lawrence, Kansas
S Olivia Wiedower Harding Jr. Conway, Arkansas
OH* Kate Wright Southern Nazarene Jr. Oak Point, Texas
2026 ALL-GAC VOLLEYBALL SECOND TEAM
MB Mackenzie Frazee Oklahoma Baptist Jr. Colorado Springs, Colorado
MB Leah Gardner Ouachita Baptist Sr. Crandall, Texas
RS Melaina Haines Harding Fr. Jackson, Missouri
OH Addison Iman East Central Fr. North Richland Hills, Texas
MB Philomina Klotz Harding Jr. Ponder, Texas
L Patience Lewis Southeastern Oklahoma State 5th Pearland, Texas
S Mackenzie Sims Southwestern Oklahoma State So. Amarillo, Texas
L Kaylon Partain Henderson State Sr. Atlanta, Texas
2026 ALL-GAC VOLLEYBALL HONORABLE MENTION
OH Kelis Battles Henderson State So. Little Rock, Arkansas
MB Ivanny Blackwood Northwestern Oklahoma State Sr. Limon, Costa Rica
OH Layla Collins Southwestern Oklahoma State So. Topeka, Kansas
RS Kylie Craven Ouachita Baptist Fr. Collierville, Texas
OH Brinklee Dauenhauer Southern Arkansas Sr. Springtown, Texas
MH Erika Hernandez Arkansas Tech So. Wylie, Texas
OH Jenna Houk Southwestern Oklahoma State Sr. Edmond, Oklahoma
OH Savannah Meyer Arkansas Tech Sr. St. Louis, Missouri
L Elle Parisi Oklahoma Baptist So. Richardson, Texas
L Jada Permenter Southwestern Oklahoma State Jr. Amarillo, Texas
MB Riley Richardson Southern Nazarene Sr. Bentonville, Arkansas
OH Tess De Zanet Northwestern Oklahoma State Sr. Bordeaux, France
