Colorado Christian University Women's Volleyball

Awards Under Coach Lydia Bartalo  CSC Academic All District, Renee Phillips, 2024 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Izzy Jones, 2024 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Abby Newell, 2024 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Lilly Woods, 2024 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Renee Phillips, 2024 RMAC Honorable Mention, Shelby Hernandez, 2024 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Renee Phillips, 2023 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Libby Goodman, 2023 RMAC Honorable Mention, Izzy Jones, 2023 RMAC First Team All Conference, Libby Goodman, 2022 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Izzy Jones, 2022 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Lilly Woods, 2022 RMAC Honorable Mention, Renee Phillips, 2022  Bartalo brings a wealth of experience with her to the Cougars as she starred as a high school and division I college volleyball player as well as a coach during those years.  Bartalo played high school volleyball at Lewis Palmer in Colorado Springs and twice received CHSAA All-State Honors during an impressive four years of play.  She then committed to the University of Denver, where she was named an All-American her junior season in 2019. That season also saw her win Summit League Player of the Year as she became the first player in program history to do so. Overall, Bartalo received first team all conference honors three times for the Pioneers in an illustrious career there as an outside hitter. She received numerous honors as she dominated at her position and racked up over 1,100 kills and over 1,000 digs playing all the way around in the rotation.  In addition to her incredible accolades as an athlete, Bartalo has been coaching and developing volleyball players since 2014. She began working as a development coach for Colorado Juniors Volleyball Club during her high school playing days. At DU she coached her entire playing career at the University of Denver Volleyball Camps, helping middle schoolers improve upon their fundamentals while implementing drills for practices.  When asked about the job, Bartalo said “I am so grateful for the opportunity to join the Colorado Christian University volleyball program. Coach Blanken has a strong vision for the program and has built a culture that focuses on the athlete as a whole and I am really looking forward to helping the team develop within their faith and sport!”  The Colorado native is the daughter of Michael and Traci Bartalo and has three sisters, Hannah, Abigail, and Gianna.

Awards Under Coach Alexis Benda CSC Academic All District, Renee Phillips, 2024 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Izzy Jones, 2024 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Abby Newell, 2024 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Lilly Woods, 2024 RMAC Second Team All Conference, Renee Phillips, 2024 RMAC Honorable Mention, Shelby Hernandez, 2024 Personal Awards under Coach Benda 2022 D2ADA Academic Achievement Award 2021 Athletic Director's Honor Roll, fall semester 2021 All-RMAC first team 2021 Academic All-RMAC honor roll 2021 D2ADA Academic Achievement Award 2021 Athletic Director's Honor Roll, spring semester 2020-21 Academic All-RMAC honor roll 2020 Athletic Director's Honor Roll, fall semester 2020 Athletic Director's Honor Roll, spring semester 2019 Academic All-RMAC honor roll 2018 Athletic Director's Honor Roll, fall semester 2018 Academic All-RMAC honor roll 2018 Athletic Director's Honor Roll, spring semester 2017 Athletic Director's Honor Roll. fall semester   Alexis Benda joins the women’s volleyball program from MSU Denver where she played from 2017-2021 as an integral part of their volleyball team. She garnered the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award her senior year, All RMAC First Team her junior year, and honor roll each year. Finishing her career, she ranked 22nd in MSU Denver program history with 116 matches played and 29th with 164 block assists as an outside hitter. Her last volleyball season on the team was followed by a year as an assistant coach for their volleyball program. Benda joins the CCU program with a wealth of knowledge from her time on the court and experience as a staff member with a vision to help athletes grow to their full potential. Benda is from Las Cruces, NM and currently resides in Lakewood, CO. Benda graduated with a degree in Special Education, and was a special education teacher for one year but is excited to rejoin the coaching world and bring some of her talents to CCU. She will continue to teach part time and is currently working towards a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. During her free time she enjoys reading and traveling around the world.