2010 Volleyball All-Conference Team And Award Winners Announced

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Wingate University's Stormi Gale, who led the league in hitting percentage and helped the Bulldogs to a fourth straight undefeated season in conference play and fifth straight conference championship, was named the South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Player of the Year for the second year in a row, the league announced Thursday.

Wingate coach Shelton Collier was named Coach of the Year for the fourth year in a row, and shared the honor with Tusculum coach Michael Robinson, who guided the Pioneers to a second-place finish. Robinson wins for the first time in his career.

Tusculum College setter Ashley Sarmiento, who led the conference with 10.37 assists per set, was named the Freshman of the Year.

Anderson University senior outside hitter Jamie Lancaster received the Scholar-Athlete Award for volleyball.

Gale, a senior middle blocker from Richmond, Texas (Fort Bend Austin HS), topped the conference with a .389 hitting percentage and was fourth in kills per set and third in blocks. She becomes the second person in league history to win the Player of the Year award twice, joining Pam Deanhardt from Presbyterian College, who won in 1990 and 1991.

Stormi Gale

Ashley Sarmiento

Jamie Lancaster

Shelton Collier

Michael Robinson

She was one of three Wingate players named to the All-Conference team. Joining Gale on the first team is senior outside hitter Lauren Billo, who repeats as a first-team selection. Junior setter Liz Willis was named to the second team.

Tusculum had a league-high four on the All-Conference team. Sarmiento, the Freshman of the Year, is joined on the first team by sophomore middle blocker Alyssa Raterman, who was second in the league in hitting percentage, and freshman libero Caitlyn Dean, who led the conference in digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter Samantha Underwood was named to the second team.

Lincoln Memorial University placed three on the All-Conference team. Senior right-side hitter and setter Lauren Kiwacka was named to the first team, while senior outside hitter Ashley Knight and freshman right-side hitter Kaitlin Walton were named to the second team.

Carson-Newman placed two on the All-Conference team. Senior outside hitter Carly Mozgai, who led the conference in kills per set, was named to the first team. Junior middle hitter Nikki James, who led the conference in blocks per set, was named to the second team.

Anderson's Lancaster rounds out the first-team selections.

Catawba College sophomore right-side hitter Kaitlyn Whitmer, the 2009 Freshman of the Year, was named to the second team.

Mars Hill College freshman Maggie Murphy, who was second in the conference with 6.31 digs per set, was also named to the second team.

Newberry freshman outside hitter Samantha Parrish, who was third in the league in kills, rounds out the All-Conference second team.

Joining Sarmiento on the All-Freshman team are Walton, Parrish, Dean and Wingate middle blocker/outside hitter Anna Hilton and Wingate outside hitter Cory McGowan.

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

Anderson's Lancaster is a senior outside hitter with a 4.0 grade point average, majoring in Kinesiology.

This season, she averaged 3.82 kills per set, second-best in the conference, and ranked in the top 10 in hitting percentage and digs. She became the school's all-time leader in kills this season and she was named first-team All-Conference. Last season, she was a first-team Daktronics All-Southeast Region selection.

Lancaster was named the Conference Carolinas student-athlete of the year after last season, as well as the Anderson University student-athlete of the year. She is the recipient of the 2009 Sterling L. Smith Scholarship, presented to only one student out of all private colleges in South Carolina. She also earned ESPN second-team Academic All-America honors last year.

Lancaster has been very active in community and campus service activities, including helping to found the Kinesiology Club, where she serves as treasurer. She also is active with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Science Club, and devotes time to her church. Jamie has served the local community through organizations such as Anderson Interfaith Ministries, Feed the Homeless, Girl Scouts of America, and went on a mission trip to Costa Rica with her team.

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 Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C.

Admission to the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Tournament is $5 per day for adults and $2 for college students and children 13 and under. Fans showing their Food Lion MVP card can save $1 off the adult admission price.

2010 SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS AND AWARD RECIPIENTS

ALL-SAC FIRST TEAM
First Team
Jamie Lancaster, Anderson
Carly Mozgai, Carson-Newman
Lauren Kiwacka, Lincoln Memorial
Caitlyn Dean, Tusculum (Libero)
Alyssa Raterman, Tusculum
Ashley Sarmiento, Tusculum
Lauren Billo, Wingate
Stormi Gale, Wingate

Second Team
Nikki James, Carson-Newman
Kaitlyn Whitmer, Catawba
Ashley Knight, Lincoln Memorial
Kaitlin Walton, Lincoln Memorial
Maggie Murphy, Mars Hill (Libero)
Samantha Parrish, Newberry
Samantha Underwood, Tusculum
Liz Willis, Wingate

ALL-FRESHMAN
Kaitlin Walton, Lincoln Memorial
Samantha Parrish, Newberry
Caitlyn Dean, Tusculum
Ashley Sarmiento, Tusculum
Anna Hilton, Wingate
Cory McGowan, Wingate

Player of the Year - Stormi Gale, Wingate
Freshman of the Year - Ashley Sarmiento, Tusculum
Coach of the Year - Shelton Collier, Wingate; Michael Robinson, Tusculum
Volleyball Scholar-Athlete - Jamie Lancaster, Anderson

STATISTICAL CHAMPIONS (through games of November 7)
Hitting Percentage - Stormi Gale, Wingate, .389
Kills Per Set - Carly Mozgai, Carson-Newman, 4.17
Assists Per Set - Ashley Sarmiento, Tusculum, 10.37
Blocks Per Set - Nikki James, Carson-Newman, 1.72
Service Aces Per Set - Nadia Andrade, Newberry, 0.44
Digs Per Set - Caitlyn Dean, Tusculum, 7.02
Team Hitting Percentage - Wingate, .276
Team Assists Per Game - Wingate, 13.94
Team Kills Per Game - Wingate, 14.87
Team Winning Percentage - Wingate, .962
Opponent Hitting Percentage - Wingate, .132
Team Blocks Per Game - Carson-Newman, 2.78
Team Service Aces Per Game - Newberry, 1.77
Digs Per Game - Tusculum, 19.66

SENIOR AWARDS
Anderson:
Lindsay Doggett
Jamie Lancaster
Adria Mullaney

Brevard:
Rebecca Schoonover

Carson Newman:
Lara McDonald
Carly Mozgai

Catawba:
Lainey Edwards
Katie Moran
MacKenzie White

Lincoln Memorial:
Lauren Kiwacka
Ashley Knight
Lia Bevins
Jenice Wilson

Mars Hill:
Sarah Paquette

Newberry:
Nadia Andrade
Brianna Blakely
Kara Harris
Leah Nye

Tusculum:
Allyson Ray

Wingate:
Lauren Billo
Rebecca Bloemer
Amanda Clark
Stormi Gale

2010 South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Player of the Year, Stormi Gale from Wingate University, receives her award from SAC Assistant Commissioner Eliane Kebbe.

2010 South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Freshman of the Year, Ashley Sarmiento from Tusculum College, receives her award from SAC Assistant Commissioner Eliane Kebbe.

2010 South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Coaches of the Year, Tusculum's Michael Robinson, left, and Wingate's Shelton Collier, right, receive their awards from SAC Assistant Commissioner Eliane Kebbe.

Wingate University captains Rebecca Bloemer, left, Stormi Gale and Maggie Malone receive the 2010 South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Championship trophy.

All-Conference First Team, from left: Jamie Lancaster, Anderson; Carly Mozgai, Carson-Newman; Lauren Kiwacka, Lincoln Memorial; Caitlyn Dean, Tusculum; Alyssa Raterman, Tusculum; Ashley Sarmiento, Tusculum; Lauren Billo, Wingate; Stormi Gale, Wingate

All-Conference Second Team, from left: Nikki James, Carson-Newman; Kaitlyn Whitmer, Catawba; Ashley Knight, Lincoln Memorial; Kaitlin Walton, Lincoln Memorial; Maggie Murphy, Mars Hill; Samantha Parrish, Newberry; Samantha Underwood, Tusculum; Liz Willis, Wingate

All-Freshman team, from left: Ashley Sarmiento, Tusculum; Caitlyn Dean, Tusculum; Kaitlin Walton, Lincoln Memorial; Samantha Parrish, Newberry; Anna Hilton, Wingate; Cory McGowan, Wingate.