Eight Volleyball Players Named To Daktronics All-Region Team

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Eight volleyball players from the South Atlantic Conference make up the 14-player Daktronics All-Southeast Region Volleyball Team.

Members of the first team are now eligible for Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America honors. The Daktronics NCAA DII teams are voted on by the sports information directors - the Southeast Region is comprised of schools from Conference Carolinas, the South Atlantic Conference and the Peach Belt Conference.

The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition.

Wingate University

Stormi Gale	Lauren Billo
Caitlyn Dean	Ashley Sarmiento
Kaitlin Walton	Kaitlyn Whitmer
Carly Mozgai	Jamie Lancaster

Wingate University senior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) and senior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) have both been named to the Daktronics All-Southeast Region first team, officials announced Wednesday morning. It is the third consecutive first team All-Region selection for Gale, while Billo earns the honor for the second straight year.

The two seniors have led Wingate on a remarkable four-year stretch, including guiding Wingate to its first-ever regional title last weekend in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs will travel to Louisville, Ky. next week to become the first SAC volleyball team to ever play in the Elite Eight. The 'Dogs are 31-1 overall, riding a nation's best 29-match wining streak. The .969 winning percentage leads all of Division II. Wingate's 131-7 overall record since Gale and Billo arrived on campus in 2007 is good for a .949 winning percentage, which also leads the nation.

Gale is only the second player in South Atlantic Conference history to earn league Player of the Year honors twice. The 2009 Region Player of the Year also became the first player in league history to earn first team All-American honors in 2009. The four-time first team All-SAC selection has also earned MVP honors at the Food Lion SAC Tournament twice in her career, including the 2010 tournament. The 2010 tournament title was the fifth consecutive SAC post-season victory for the Bulldogs.

Gale leads the SAC with a .369 hitting percentage, while ranking fourth with 3.26 kills per set, third with 1.02 blocks per set and eighth with 0.28 aces per set. She has 12 double-doubles on the season and 42 in her illustrious career. Gale had double-digit kills in 20 of her 31 matches played in 2010. She has collected a career-high 292 digs this season, good for an average of 2.83 digs per set, which ranks third on the team. Her 105 blocks this year are the most since her freshman season.

Gale has left her mark all over the Wingate record books. She has 1,541 career kills, which ranks second on the all-time charts. She needs 40 more kills for the school record. Her career mark of 3.54 kills per set is a school record. Gale's 161 aces rank sixth all-time, while three more aces would put her in fourth on the all-time charts. Her 376 career block assists ranks third on the career list.

Billo has also piled up the awards in her career. She has been named to the All-SAC team each of the last three seasons, while earning first team honors in 2009 and 2010. She earns first team All-Region honors for the second consecutive year. Billo was an honorable mention All-American in 2009, when she led the SAC in hitting percentage and ranked second in kills per set.

Billo is third on the team with 2.65 kills per set, while hitting .250. She has collected double-digit kills nine times in 2010. She has notched a pair of double-doubles this season. Billo had 14 kills and no errors in 17 swings at Lenoir-Rhyne, good for an .824 hitting percentage. The .824 mark is the second highest in SAC history with at least 15 attacks. She racked up 16 kills and 15 digs in the win over Catawba. Billo had 12 kills and 10 digs in the victory over Tusculum. She collected 16 kills in the sweep over Carson-Newman in the Food Lion SAC semifinals. Billo added 11 kills in the regional semifinal win over Montevallo (Ala.).

Billo has collected a career-high 157 digs in 2010, averaging 1.65 digs per set. She also has 38 blocks in 2010, to go along with 14 aces. Billo has piled up 1,116 kills during her career, placing her fifth on Wingate's all-time kills charts.

The two seniors have helped Wingate put up some incredible numbers in 2010. The NCAA has team rankings for seven categories. The Bulldogs are in the top 10 in five categories, while ranking in the top 20 in six of the seven. Wingate leads the nation in winning percentage (.969), ranks third in kills per set (14.93), third in assists per set (14.07), seventh in digs per set (18.45) and ninth in hitting percentage (.273). Wingate is 19th in the nation with 2.23 blocks per set.

Billo and Gale have been a part of the greatest four-year volleyball run in SAC history. Wingate went a perfect 64-0 in SAC play, while also going 12-0 in the SAC tournament during their four years. The Bulldogs have notched 20 more conference wins than any other team in the four-year stretch. The 'Dogs went 113-4 during the regular season with Billo and Gale. They went to the NCAA Division II tournament all four seasons, while leading Wingate to its first-ever NCAA victory in 2008. The Bulldogs made their first-ever regional title match in 2009, while this year they will appear in the Elite Eight for the first time. The Bulldogs also became the first team in SAC history to earn an AVCA top 25 ranking in 2009. Wingate is currently 25th in the AVCA poll.

Tusculum College

Tusculum College's Caitlyn Dean and Ashley Sarmiento have been named to the 2010 Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region Volleyball Team announced officials Wednesday. Dean was named the First Team libero/defensive specialist, while Sarmiento garnered Second Team accolades at setter.

Dean, a freshman from Fort Wayne, Ind., has posted one of the best defensive performances in NCAA II history. Dean currently leads the nation averaging 7.10 digs per set, which is a new school and South Atlantic Conference record and is on pace to be the third-best average in DII history. Her 845 digs this season are a new NCAA Division II record. The 2010 All-SAC First Team honoree has accounted for an amazing 13 matches with 30-plus digs. She has also been named to the SAC All-Freshman Team, SAC All-Tournament Team and was named SAC Specialist of the Week on two occasions.

Sarmiento, a freshman from Dayton, Ohio, led the league in assists, averaging 10.36 helpers per set. The 2010 SAC Freshman of the Year, is 31st in the nation in assists, while leading the team with 14 double-doubles. The SAC All-Freshman Team selection has accounted for 1,256 assists, which are the fourth most in school history, while her assist average is also fourth best by a Pioneer. She was also named to the SAC All-Tournament Team and was twice named SAC Specialist of the Week.

The 2010 Pioneers recorded one of the most superb seasons in school history and the best since becoming a NCAA Division II member. Tusculum posted a 25-7 overall record, including 16-2 in SAC play to finish second in the conference. The 16 league wins are the most in school history as a South Atlantic Conference member (since 1999) as Tusculum advanced to the SAC Tournament Championship match for the first time in school history. TC also earned the program its second straight NCAA Tournament at-large berth.

Lincoln Memorial University

LMU rightside hitter Kaitlin Walton was named to the second team.

Walton, a 5-9 freshman from Muncie, Indiana, was the first freshman in LMU history to lead the team in kills. She averaged 2.92 kills a set and hit .265 for the season. Walton also had 28 service aces and 50 total blocks. She was named second-team All-SAC and to the All-SAC freshman team this season.

Catawba College

Catawba sophomore Kaitlyn Whitmer (Ferrum, VA/Franklin Co. HS) has been honored as an All-Southeast Region volleyball performer by both Daktronics and the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The outside hitter earned second team honors from Daktronics, which is voted on by the region SID's, and was an honorable mention selection by the AVCA.

Whitmer led Catawba this season with 309 kills and 17 aces. She was second on the team with 298 digs and 40 blocks. She posted double-digit kills in the final 11 matches and capped the year with a season-high 27 kills in a SAC Tournament loss to Carson-Newman.

Carson-Newman College

Senior outside hitter Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) was named to the All-Region first team.

Mozgai helped guide C-N to a 20-11 record and a third straight berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Eagles advanced to the Southeast Region semifinals for the second time in school history.

"I am pleased to see all of Carly's hard work be recognized," C-N head coach Shannon Mincey said. "She was a dedicated young lady all throughout her career and always came back from summer break in tip-top shape ready for the season. Her main goal was for our team to be its best and daily she strived to make herself better so that she could help the team be better. Carly's example will be missed as she was always a teammate the other players could emulate through her work ethic and poise."

For the year, Mozgai broke several Carson-Newman single-season records. She finished the year with an average of 4.17 kills per set, which is first all-time, and tallied 480 kills, which ranks third all-time. She also left her mark in the C-N career records as she is now fourth in total career kills with 1,394 and fifth in total attack attempts with 3,500 for her career. She tallied double digit kills on 26 occasions this season, including a career high 29 kills against Catawba in the conference quarterfinals. Mozgai also had 10 double doubles for the season and produced 278 digs and 60 blocks.

Anderson University

Senior outside hitter Jamie Lancaster was named to the All-Region first team.

Lancaster is a senior outside hitter and earned First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference honors this season and was named the SAC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete. 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.

She was a second-team team CoSIDA Academic All-America selection in 2010 after garnering first-team recognition in 2009. Lancaster also earned SAC Player of the Week honors once during the season and wrapped up the season ranked 22nd nationally in kills per set (3.88) and posted match-highs in kills 22 times. She was also a first-team Daktronics All-Southeast Region selection in 2009.

2010 Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region
Volleyball Team

First Team
Pos. Name School Year Hometown
OH Lauren Billo Wingate Sr. Orland Park, Ill.
OH Jamie Lancaster Anderson (S.C.) Sr. Fountain Inn, S.C.
OH Carly Mozgai Carson-Newman Sr. Greensboro, N.C.
MH Stormi Gale Wingate Sr. Richmond, Texas
MH Meg Weathersby Flagler Sr. Maitland, Fla.
L/DS Caitlyn Dean Tusculum Fr. Fort Wayne, Ind.
S Rebecca Royal Flagler Sr. Green Cove Springs, Fla.

2010 Southeast Region Player of the Year: Meg Weathersby, Sr., Maitland, Fla.

Second Team
Pos. Name School Year Hometown
OH/RS Gwen Clarke Armstrong Atl. Sr. Superior, Colo.
OH/RS Kaitlin Walton Lincoln Memorial Fr. Muncie, Ind.
OH Kaitlyn Whitmer Catawba Soph. Ferrum, Va.
MH Whitney Justice Lees-McRae Sr. Connelly Springs, N.C.
MH Rachel Stacy Flagler Soph. Orlando, Fla.
L/DS Samantha Lukralle USC Aiken Soph. Lindenhurst, N.Y.
S Ashley Sarmiento Tusculum Fr. Dayton, Ohio