Oxley named Attacker of the Year; three Mustangs nab Heart honors

Mount Mercy senior outside hitter Akeel Oxley was one of three Mustangs to earn Heart of America Athletic Conference awards this week, bringing in first-team honors while being named the Heart of America Attacker of the Year by a vote of league coaches.

Oxley led the conference in kills per set at 4.06 and was sixth in the league with 288 total kills. His .298 hitting percentage also ranked fifth in the Heart. Oxley finished the regular season with 40 service aces, which was second on the team, and an average of 0.56 aces per set, which ranked fifth in the league.

Senior setter Rafael Vieyra and sophomore middle blocker Bo Brainerd garnered second-team all-conference honors. Vieyra, Mount Mercy's career assist leader, finished second in the conference in assists per set at 10.24 and third in total assists with 870, which is the second-highest number in school history.

Brainerd was a force in the middle for the Mustangs, ending up ninth in the Heart in total blocks with 79 and 0.96 blocks per set, which was sixth in the conference. He also hit .424 and was third on the squad with 172 kills this season.

2023-24 Heart of America Awards
Player of the Year: Landon Krause (William Penn)
Attacker of the Year: Akeel Oxley (Mount Mercy)
Middle Blocker of the Year: Charlie Figy (William Penn)
Libero of the Year: Marko Javanovic (Missouri Baptist)
Setter of the Year: Eduardo Sabi (Park)
Co-Freshmen of the Year: Grant Hoover (UHSP), Aleksa Mandic (Missouri Baptist)
Coach of the Year: Luke Bentley (William Penn)