FOLEY, Ala. – The Coastal Carolina beach volleyball team collected four Sun Belt postseason awards with two pairs earning All-Sun Belt honors, Frida Meincke Lyø winning Freshman of the Year, and Collin Wilson being named Coach of the Year the league announced on Wednesday.
It marks the third time in program history that Coastal has won a conference Freshman of the Year award and the first time the Chants have won Coach of the Year.
In just his second season as the head coach, Wilson led Coastal Carolina to an undefeated Sun Belt season, going 6-0 in conference play and 20-12 overall. His 2025 campaign included a win over No. 15 Georgia State for the first time in program history, a season sweep of South Carolina, and an undefeated record against in-state teams. Wilson did this while returning just two starters from last year's team.
Lyø, a native of Svendborg, Denmark, finished the regular season with a 20-12 record, playing all of her matches with junior Emma Kunaus on court 1. Lyø's season was highlighted by wins over UNCW, Mercer, RV Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Arizona, and two wins over in-state rival South Carolina.
Additionally, Lyø and Kunaus were named the All-Sun Belt first team. It's the second time Kunaus has collected All-Sun Belt honors after being named to the first team last year with partner Ellie Hanford. Kunaus collected her 50th career individual victory with a win over UNCW on April 11.
The pairing of senior Raychel Ehlers and sophomore Ava Novello earned All-Sun Belt second team honors. The duo finished the season with an 18-7 overall record, going 13-6 on court 4 and 5-1 on court 5. Ehlers and Novello were named the Sun Belt Pair of the Week on April 22nd after going 4-0 at the Palmetto Invitational. With Ehlers' win over Jacksonville on April 18, she became the winningest player in Coastal Carolina beach volleyball history, passing Hanford (2021-2024) with her 94th career individual victory.
The Chants (20-12, 6-0 SBC) will hold the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament in Foley, Ala. later this week. The first match is set for 4 p.m. Thursday against the winner of No. 4 Mercer vs. No. 5 ULM.
For complete coverage of women's beach volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBeachVB (X), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @CCUBeachVB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com
