On the eve of the conference tournament, the Sun Belt Conference honored four WKU volleyball players with 2010 postseason awards.

Junior Tiffany Elmore and sophomore Jordyn Skinner were named first-team All-Sun Belt selections while freshman Melanie Stutsman and junior Lindsay Williams in earning second-team honors.

Stutsman also took home Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors.

Just a year ago WKU only had one honoree, Head Coach Travis Hudson said.

“I am so incredibly proud of these kids,” Hudson said. “They have put in a lot of hard work and are all very deserving of the awards they have received.”

The honor is the second for Elmore, who leads the Lady Toppers with a .372 hitting percentage, 310 kills (2.87/set) and 121 blocks (1.12/set).  In the Sun Belt, she ranks second in the league in blocking and is in the top 10 in kills. Elmore leads the conference with 1.24 blocks per set.

Although this is Skinner’s first award, the Michigan native has eight matches this season with double-digit kills and 16 with double-digit digs.

The honor is also the first for both Stutsman and Williams. Stutsman is the first Lady Topper to earn Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors since Megan Argabright in 2005.

Williams has posted a hitting percentage over .400 with at least 10 attempts in 12 different matches this season, while Stutsman has set her team to a .294 hitting percentage which ranks sixth in the country.

The Lady Toppers will take their four honored players into the Sun Belt tournament to play the quarterfinal match against Louisiana Lafayette in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

After a loss to Middle Tennessee at home on Friday, WKU now takes the second seed.

“On Monday we had to talk about it a while and pick our lip up off the ground and get back to work,” Hudson said.

“That was a disappointing loss, but it is tournament time now. It is time to refocus and be better because of it.”