2009 Volleyball All-Conference Teams And Award Winners Announced

November 12, 2009

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Wingate University's Stormi Gale, who led the league in kills per set and helped the Bulldogs to a third straight undefeated season in conference play and fourth straight conference championship, was named the South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Player of the Year, the league announced Thursday.

Wingate, which went 31-1 overall and 16-0 in the conference, swept nearly all the conference's top awards.

Wingate coach Shelton Collier was named Coach of the Year for the third year in a row.

Wingate senior defensive specialist Chelsea Cancelliere received the Scholar-Athlete Award for volleyball.

Catawba College Kaitlyn Whitmer, who averaged 2.87 kills per set in her rookie season, was named the Freshman of the Year.

Gale, a junior from Richmond, Texas (Fort Bend Austin HS), topped the conference with 3.77 kills per set and was third in the league with a .304 hitting percentage. She was one of four Wingate players named to the All-Conference team. Joining Gale on the first team are Lauren Billo and Liz Willis. Billo led the conference with a .316 hitting percentage and was second in kills at 3.46 per set. Willis led the conference in assists per set at 10.17. Maggie Malone, who ranked second in digs at 4.86 per set, was named to the second team at the Libero position.

Stormi Gale

Kaitlyn Whitmer

Chelsea Cancelliere

Shelton Collier

Carson-Newman College, Catawba College, and Lincoln Memorial University all had three All-Conference selections.

Carson-Newman's Katie Troyer, who averaged 2.85 kills per set, was named to the first team. Setter Stephanie Cutter, who averaged 8.07 assists per set, and Carly Mozgai, who averaged 2.55 kills per set, were named to the second team.

Carson-Newman also had two selections to the All-Freshman team. Jasmine Clark, who hit .278 and averaged 1.95 kills per set, and Angelle Hayes, who was fifth in the league in digs at 4.53 per set were both named to the All-Freshman team.

Catawba had two first-team selections in Shay Meeks and Mai Zoua Lo, while Whitmer was named to the second team. Meeks ranked third in kills with 3.07 per set. Zoua Lo was the top Libero in the conference, averaging 5.59 digs per set, which ranks 10th best in Division II.

Lincoln Memorial University had one first-team selection in Amanda Horenkamp, who ranked among the leaders in both kills and digs. The Lady Railsplitters had a pair named to the second team in Lauren Kiwacka and Candace Richardson.

Brevard College's Brooke Seaman rounds out the All-Conference first team. Seaman led the league in blocks with 1.23 per set.

Newberry's College's Lorena Maia, who was second in the conference with .49 service aces per set, was named to the second team.

Also named to the second team was Tusculum College's Gina Coffaro, who was fifth in the league in kills with 2.89 per set and added 3.86 digs per set. Tusculum also placed a pair on the All-Freshman Team in Sam Underwood and Bailee Price. Underwood ranked eighth in hitting percentage at .273, while Price averaged 2.35 kills and 3.17 digs in her first season.

Rounding out the All-Freshman team is Meredith Lutz from Lenoir-Rhyne University. Lutz ranked third in the conference in assists, dishing out 9.68 per set.

The All-Conference and All-Freshman teams are selected by the league's head coaches.

The conference awards will be presented Friday after the second of four quarterfinal matches during the opening day of the Food Lion SAC Volleyball Tournament. The tournament will be played at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn.

Cancelliere is a senior defensive specialist, and carries a 3.989 GPA as a sport management major.

This season she averaged 2.55 digs per set, helping Wingate to its fourth straight conference title.

Cancelliere was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District second team in 2008 and 2009, and is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma and Alpha Chi honor societies. She has been named to the Wingate president's list six times and the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the past three years.

Her community and campus activities include serving as vice president of Phi Epsilon Kappa honorary sports science fraternity, campus outreach, and volunteering for a Habitat for Humanity mission trip during her spring break.

2009 SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS AND AWARD RECIPIENTS

ALL-SAC FIRST TEAM
First Team
Brooke Seaman, Brevard
Shay Meeks, Catawba
Mai Zoua Lo, Catawba, Libero
Katie Troyer, Carson-Newman
Amanda Horenkamp, Lincoln Memorial
Stormi Gale, Wingate
Lauren Billo, Wingate
Liz Willis, Wingate

Second Team
Stephanie Cutter, Carson-Newman
Carly Mozgai, Carson-Newman
Kaitlyn Whitmer, Catawba
Lauren Kiwacka, Lincoln Memorial
Candace Richardson, Lincoln Memorial
Lorena Maia, Newberry
Gina Coffaro, Tusculum
Maggie Malone, Wingate, Libero

ALL-FRESHMAN
Jasmine Clark, Carson-Newman
Angelle Hayes, Carson-Newman
Kaitlyn Whitmer, Catawba
Meredith Lutz, Lenoir-Rhyne
Sam Underwood, Tusculum
Bailee Price, Tusculum

Player of the Year - Stormi Gale, Wingate
Freshman of the Year - Kaitlyn Whitmer, Catawba
Coach of the Year - Shelton Collier, Wingate
Volleyball Scholar-Athlete - Chelsea Cancelliere, Wingate

STATISTICAL CHAMPIONS (through games of November 8)
Hitting Percentage - Lauren Billo, Wingate, .316; Jasmine Chunn, Catawba, .316
Kills Per Set - Stormi Gale, Wingate, 3.77
Assists Per Set - Liz Willis, Wingate, 10.170
Blocks Per Set - Brooke Seaman, Brevard, 1.230
Service Aces Per Set - Laura Ann Huskey, Mars Hill, .50
Digs Per Set - Mai Zoua Lo, Catawba, 5.59
Team Hitting Percentage - Wingate, .262
Team Assists Per Game - Wingate, 13.74
Team Kills Per Game - Wingate, 14.67
Team Winning Percentage - Wingate, .969
Opponent Hitting Percentage - Wingate, .126
Team Blocks Per Game - Brevard, 2.45
Team Service Aces Per Game - Wingate, 2.03
Digs Per Game - Wingate, 18.25

SENIOR AWARDS
Brevard:
Cori Emory
Megan Street
Brooke Seaman
Christin Johnston
Chelsey Trojan

Carson Newman:
Caitlin Schlegel
Stephanie Cutter
Jessica Brady
Jessica Schachleiter
Katie Troyer

Catawba:
Mai Zoua Lo
Jasmine Chunn

Lenoir-Rhyne:
Elizabeth Flattery
Kassi Henry
Jordan Ledford

Lincoln Memorial:
Amanda Horenkamp
Alicia MacIntyre
Alison Hess

Mars Hill:
Danielle Mason
Kelly Koziel
Meghen Flynn

Newberry:
Fernanda Frey
Lorena Maia
Kember Lichtie

Tusculum:
Gina Coffaro
Holli Cadenhead

Wingate:
Chelsea Cancelliere
Jacki Emmenecker
Brittany Horner
Megan McVicker

2009 South Atlantic Conference All-Conference Volleyball First Team, from left: Brooke Seaman, Brevard; Shay Meeks, Catawba; Mai Zoua Lo, Catawba; Katie Troyer, Carson-Newman; Amanda Horenkamp, Lincoln Memorial; Stormi Gale, Wingate; Lauren Billo, Wingate; Liz Willis, Wingate.

2009 South Atlantic Conference All-Conference Volleyball Second Team, from left: Stephanie Cutter, Carson-Newman; Carly Mozgai, Carson-Newman; Kaitlyn Whitmer, Catawba; Lauren Kiwacka, Lincoln Memorial; Candace Richardson, Lincoln Memorial; Lorena Maia, Newberry; Gina Coffaro, Tusculum; Maggie Malone, Wingate.

2009 South Atlantic Conference All-Freshman Team, from left: Jasmine Clark, Carson-Newman; Angelle Hayes, Carson-Newman; Kaitlyn Whitmer, Catawba; Meredith Lutz, Lenoir-Rhyne; Sam Underwood, Tusculum; Bailee Price, Tusculum.

2009 South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Player of the Year Stormi Gale from Wingate receives her award from Eliane Kebbe, SAC Assistant Commissioner.

2009 South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Freshman of the Year Kaitlyn Whitmer from Catawba receives her award from Eliane Kebbe, SAC Assistant Commissioner.

2009 South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year Shelton Collier from Catawba receives his award from Eliane Kebbe, SAC Assistant Commissioner.

2009 South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Chelsea Cancelliere from Wingate receives her award from Eliane Kebbe, SAC Assistant Commissioner.