Conference Carolinas Announces Women's Volleyball All Conference Award Winners

Conference Carolinas Announces Women's Volleyball All Conference Award Winners

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Conference Carolinas Announces Women's Volleyball All Conference Award Winners

High Point, NC> Conference Carolinas announces the All-Conference teams during this week’s upcoming Conference Carolinas Championship Volleyball Tournament. Awards include All-Conference First, Second, & Third teams, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Divisional Regular Season Champions. Head coaches from conference member institutions nominate and then vote on the award winners who represent the best of the best for the league.

 

The conference championships started Saturday with the top eight teams qualifying for quarterfinal action. Semifinal play continues today with the championship final on Saturday. All games are played at the highest remaining seed with the tournament champion receiving an automatic berth to the NCAA DII championships. Link to the women’s volleyball championship page for more details.

 

Player of the Year

Hannah Schellenberg, Belmont Abbey

Just one year after earning Freshman of the Year honors, Belmont Abbey outside hitter Hannah Schellenberg has been named the Player of the Year, keeping the award in the Schellenberg family after older sister Kay was crowned Player of the Year in 2012. Schellenberg, who earned Conference Carolinas Player of the Week honors three times in 2012, becomes the third Crusader to win Player of the Year honors after leading the Abbey in every major offensive category and is the conference leader in kills (390), kills per set (3.94) and points per set (4.3). A solid-two way player, she is eighth in digs per set (3.20) and has posted a double double 12 times. She has recorded at least 20 or more kills five times with a career-high of 22 in the win over UNC Pembroke.

 

Defensive Player of the Year

Payton Tipton, King

For the second consecutive year, King University’s Payton Tipton has been named Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference’s top defense. Tipton and the Tornado have racked up the most digs in the league. The junior has accounted for 491 digs this season, eclipsing last season’s mark of 454. Her average of 4.09 digs per set ranks third in the league. Not only has she played stellar defense, but she is the most potent server in the league, and third most effective in the country. The Cleveland, Tenn., native leads the league in total aces (83) and her conference-best aces per set average of 0.69 also ranks third in all of NCAA Division II.

 

Freshman of the Year

Ana Maria Pagan, Belmont Abbey

Ana Maria Pagan has already established herself as one of the top defensive players in school history after just one season as she becomes the third Crusader to earn Freshman of the Year honors, and the second in a row. The libero from San Juan, Puerto Rico is the conference leader in digs per set and her 464 digs, a single-season school record, is second.  She has posted double digit digs in every match but two and has eight matches with at least 20 digs, with a career-high of 30 against Arkansas Tech. 

Coach of the Year

Mary DeJute, Belmont Abbey

Mary DeJute earns her second consecutive Coach of the Year nod after leading the Abbey to a share of the Conference Carolinas Regular Season Championship, the program's first number one seed in school history and the first NCAA Regional Ranking in school history. The Crusaders have amassed a school-record 20 match winning streak and have won 52 of 59 matches dating back to last season, with just three of those losses coming in conference play. She has coached the last two Players and Freshmen of the Year and is the winningest coach in school history after just five seasons. 

 

All-Conference 1st-Team

Hannah Schellenberg, Belmont Abbey

Carly White, Mount Olive

Kelsey Griffitts, King

Summer Kremer, King

Caitlin Bullock, Erskine

Ana Maria Pagan, Belmont Abbey

Olivia Underwood, King

 

All-Conference 2nd-Team

Lydia Schellenberg, Belmont Abbey

Caitlin Hankins, Belmont Abbey

Melissa Cochran, Barton

Grace Underwood, King

Brianna Jones, Pfeiffer

Payton Tipton, King

Gabby Martinez, Belmont Abbey

 

All-Conference 3rd-Team

Regan Youngs, Limestone

Kelly Sullivan, Erskine

Maribeth Kern, King

Rachel Burts, North Greenville

Haydn Beatty, Lees-McRae

Rebecca Kerrison, Limestone

Amber Kelly, Barton

 

Conference Regular Season Co-Champions

Belmont Abbey College
King University