ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced its 2025 volleyball awards on Thursday and Bethany head coach Laura Evans highlighted the honors as Coach of the Year, while five student-athletes were selected All-Conference. 

Abby Distad (So., Kasson), Lilly Mehrkens (So., Zumbrota), and Maddie Meyer (Sr., Shakopee) were named First-Team All-Conference, while Kylie Smidt (Sr., Spring Valley) and Lexiss Trygg (Sr., Virginia) earned Second Team honors. Ella Blazina (Sr., Minneapolis) was named All-Sportsmanship. 

Evans becomes the first Bethany coach to earn UMAC Coach of the Year since Marcia Eggen in 2004. Evans led the Vikings to their first 16-win season since 2007 and first postseason appearance in three years. Since taking the helm three years ago, Evans has improved the program from 8-18 in 2023, to 14-15 in 2024, and now 16-12 this season, marking the first winning season in 18 years. 

After earning honorable mention last season, Distad earns her first All-Conference selection after ranking second in the UMAC with 9.83 assists per set and 973 overall, which is fifth most in a single season in program history. Distad was second on the team with 54 service aces and averaged 1.89 digs per set. 

Mehrkens also garners her first All-UMAC nod after being named honorable mention last season. Mehrkens led the Vikings' attack with 342 kills, which is top-10 in program history for a single season and second in the conference this year. Mehrkens averaged 2.18 digs per set and had 15 aces. 

Meyer earns First-Team honors for the second consecutive season after leading the league with a .308 hitting percentage, which is fourth highest in program history. Meyer totaled 236 kills with 26 aces, and tied for the team-high with 67 total blocks. Meyer finished her career with a .276 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth in program history. Her 647 career kills rank eighth. 

Smidt earns All-UMAC honors for the first time after leading the Viking defense with 414 digs (4.18 per set), which ranks third in the league. She also led the team with 57 service aces and added 59 assists. 

Trygg also captures her first All-Conference selection after posting 167 kills and a .207 attack percentage. Trygg tied for the team lead with 67 total blocks.