Six SAC Volleyball Players Named to Academic All-District Team

ROCK HILL, SC - Six South Atlantic Conference volleyball players have been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District III team, it was announced.

Newberry College's Amanda Van Pelt was named to the First Team. Van Pelt, who was named the SAC's Scholar Athlete for volleyball, will receive consideration on the national ballot.

Van Pelt, a senior from Linville, North Carolina, carries a 4.0 GPA as a Psychology major. She has received Newberry's Founder Scholar Award, the school's highest academic scholarship. She was a second team Academic All-American last year, and been a Class Marshall each year at Newberry.

On the court, Van Pelt is a two-year team captain. This year, she is third on the team in digs per game, averaging 2.44. She has also contributed 35 kills, 14 assists and 14 service aces.

Lenoir-Rhyne's Leslie Hinkle and Wingate's Amanda Brezovec were selected to the Second Team. Presbyterian's Donja Bobbit and Erin Friday, as well as Mars Hill's Sara Nash were selected to the Third Team.

Hinkle, a native of High Point, N.C., and a graduate of Ledford High School, is a starting outside hitter for Lenoir-Rhyne and recently earned first-team All-South Atlantic Conference honors after leading the team to its first-ever SAC Regular Season Championship and a 26-6 mark overall on the year. Hinkle is currently second on the team in kills (342) and digs (414) and had a string of fifteen straight double-doubles during the season.

Academically, Hinkle sports a 3.84 grade point average while majoring in nursing. Hinkle has also accumulated a 4.0 GPA the last two semesters and is a member of the President's List and the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Both Bobbit and Friday earn this honor for the second year in a row.

Bobbitt, a 5-10 senior outside hitter from San Antonio, Tex., finished fifth in the South Atlantic Conference in kills per game (3.60) and averaged 4.03 digs per game while posting a .239 hitting percentage this season en route to second team All-SAC honors. The former Tom C. Clark High School standout currently has 1,635 career kills which ranks fourth in program history and has 1,732 career digs which ranks third all-time in Lady Blue Hose history. She earned All-SAC honors for the third year in a row.

In the classroom, Bobbitt has a 3.46 GPA as a Biology/Pre-Med major. She has been named to the school's Dean's List four semesters and the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll for three years in a row. She is member of the American Institute of Biological Services, Beta Beta Beta Honor Society and recipient of the McLeod and endowed scholarships.

Friday, 5-8 junior outside hitter from Summerville, S.C., led the Lady Blue Hose and the SAC in kills (522), kills per game (4.62), while also ranking fourth in the league service aces per game (0.41), and fifth in hitting percentage (.302) this season en route to SAC Player of the Year and first team All-SAC honors. The former Summerville High School standout earned SAC Player of the Week honors three times and reached a significant milestone on October 5th in PC's victory over USC Upstate when she became the program's 12th player to reach 1,000 kills in their career. Friday becomes the seventh Lady Blue Hose player to earn SAC POY honors as the program has won the honor for a SAC-record eight times in the 15-year history of the league.

In the classroom, Friday has a 3.43 GPA while majoring in Biology. She has been named to the school's Dean's List three semesters, and the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll for two straight years.

Presbyterian College, the 2004 Co-South Atlantic Conference regular season champions, are currently 26-7 on the season. The No. 1 seed Lady Blue Hose will take on the No. 5 seed Wingate University in the semifinals of the 2004 Food Lion SAC Tournament on Saturday, November 13 at 11:00 am on the campus of Newberry College. The winner of that match will advance to Saturday's championship match at 7:00 pm.

In 2004, Amanda Brezovec (Durham, N.C.) is eighth in the South Atlantic Conference in hitting percentage at .277. In 2003, Brezovec helped Wingate make the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time in school history.

In the classroom, Brezovec sports a perfect 4.00 in her Sociology major. Brezovec has been listed on the Wingate University President's List and the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll two semesters in a row.

Brezovec is very involved on the Wingate campus. She is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Sociology Club. Also, she serves as a housing assistant and peer mentor.

Sarah Nash is a senior outside hitter from Louisville, KY (Presentation Academy) and is on the third team.

Nash holds a 3.72 grade point average majoring in Therapeutic Recreation. Her career accomplishments are extensive. She is a member of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Commissioner's Honor Roll, was a first team All-SAC selection in 2004, a second team All-SAC in selection 2003 and in 2001, and was named the SAC Freshman of the Year in 2001. She also served as the Lions' team captain.

She lead the Lions in kills (4.29 kpg), digs (5.34 dpg) and aces per game (0.52). She led the SAC in service aces per game and ranked third in kills and digs per game. She placed 29th in the nation in NCAA D-II in digs per game.