Wingate, Lenoir-Rhyne, Catawba Place Volleyball Players on Academic All-District Team

The South Atlantic Conference took four of the seven spots on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III College Division First Team for Volleyball, with another representative making the Second Team.

Wingate University led the way with three represntatives - Rebecca Brezovec, Lauren Alley and Melissa Deluca - while Lenoir-Rhyne had one - Kathryn Phillips. Catawba's Missy Bartholomew was named to the Second Team. The teams are selected by members of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).District III (college division) includes all non-NCAA Division I schools (Division II, III and NAIA) in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and North and South Carolina.

The District III College Division consists of all-non NCAA Division I colleges and universities in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina and Virginia. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.2 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or a significant reserve on his or her team.

Wingate

Wingate University seniors Rebecca Brezovec (Durham, N.C.) and Lauren Alley (Bristol, Tenn.) and junior Melissa Deluca (Bahama, N.C.) have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III volleyball first team (college division), selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).

Twenty-nine student-athletes were named to either the first, second or third ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III volleyball team. The seven first team members will advance to the national ballot.

Brezovec earns Academic All-District honors for the third time in her career. She was a first team honoree in 2005 and 2006 and a second team member in 2004. The 2006 SAC Player of the Year, Brezovec is a two-time All-SAC middle blocker.

She won the SAC Scholar-Athlete Award for volleyball for the second time in 2006. The SAC Scholar-Athlete Award is a prestigious honor given to only one student-athlete in each of the league's 14 sports. Brezovec has a perfect 4.00 GPA in her Sociology major.

Brezovec was named SAC Player of the Week twice this season (August 28 and October 9) and five times for her career. In 100 games in 2006, Brezovec has 405 kills (4.05/game), 103 blocks (1.03/game) and a .334 hitting percentage. The Riverside High School graduate is second in the SAC in hitting percentage.

Alley is a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III first team member, as she earned first team laurels in 2005. Alley was named second team All-SAC last week. Alley has a 3.96 GPA in her Physical Education major.

In 100 games in 2006, Alley has 275 kills (2.75/game), 64 blocks (0.64/game), 41 aces (0.41/game) and a .237 hitting percentage. The Sullivan East High School graduate is two-time SAC Player of the Week selection (once in 2005, once in 2006).

Deluca was named first team All-SAC in 2006. She was an All-SAC second team selection in 2005. Most recently, Deluca was the 2006 Food Lion SAC tournament MVP, helping the Bulldogs to the victory with 37 assists during the championship match.

Deluca averaged over 35 assists a match during the 2006 SAC tournament. Thanks to Deluca's precise passes, Wingate hit .376 in its 3-0 championship victory over Lenoir-Rhyne College.

The Northern Durham High School graduate led the South Atlantic Conference with 12.55 assists per game. She contributed 0.95 kills per game, 0.52 service aces per game and 0.42 blocks per game. Deluca compiled a .392 hitting percentage in 2006.

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution offering students active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, faith nurturing, career development, community service and study abroad.

Wingate offers more than 37 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers pre-professional programs and graduate degrees in business, education, physical education and sport administration. In the spring of 2007, Wingate University will award its first-ever doctor of pharmacy degrees. Bulldog student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division II sports.

Lenoir-Rhyne

Kathryn Phillips, a senior on the Lenoir-Rhyne College Volleyball Team, was named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District III College Division First Team.

Phillips, a native of Lexington, North Carolina, and a graduate of West Davidson High School, has a 4.0 grade point average while majoring in psychology and was recently named the 2006 South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Co-Scholar Athlete Of The Year.

Phillips was also selected as the 2005-06 PEF/Bears Club Scholar Athlete Of The Year, given annually to Lenoir-Rhyne's male and female student athletes with the highest grade point averages.

On the court, Phillips is a two-time All-SAC second-team honoree (2005-06) and the school's all-time leader in blocked shots with 561.

This year, Phillips led the league in blocks with 152 and finished second on the team in kills (387) while leading the team to the South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Co-Championship.

Phillips is now eligible Academic All-American honors.

Catawba

Catawba College junior volleyball player Missy Bartholomew (New Carlisle, IN) has been selected to their 2006 ESPN The Magazine District III All-Academic Volleyball Team.

Bartholomew has attained a 3.80 GPA while majoring in biology. Bartholomew was named the first team All-South Atlantic Conference libero, leading Catawba in digs this season with 502 which stands third in the league. She added 19 aces.

2006 ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT III
VOLLEYBALL TEAMS (COLLEGE DIVISION)

FIRST TEAM
Rebecca Brezovec, Wingate
Lauren Alley, Wingate
Kathryn Phillips, Lenoir-Rhyne
Mandy Gerolstein, USC Aiken
Melissa Deluca, Wingate
Carolyn Maness, Shenandoah
Traci Knuth, Armstrong Atlantic State

SECOND TEAM
Margeaux Sinibaldi, Tampa
Heather Van Olst, Florida Gulf Coast
Courtney Butrym, Coker
Missy Bartholomew, Catawba College
Jennifer Thompson, Shenandoah

THIRD TEAM
Frida Sigurdardottir, Savannah College of Art and Design
Ericka Fonseca, Florida Gulf Coast
Jordan McAfee, Florida Southern
Danielle Higginbotham, Florida Southern
Beverly Stasis, Florida Southern
Brittney Wittmer, Bridgewater
Desirae Riddick, Johnson C. Smith
Sarah Joy Daniels, Greensboro College
Lauren Smith, Greensboro College
Sam Mitchell, Mount Olive
Kim Harper, St. Andrews Presbyterian
Audrey Starkebaum, Saint Leo
Amanda Cook, Saint Leo
Tarah Marinelli, Tampa
Mollee Farrell, Randolph-Macon
Danielle Gill, Presbyterian
Jennifer Perkinson, Virginia Wesleyan