Conference Carolinas Announces Women's Volleyball Award Winners
Conference Carolinas Announces Women's Volleyball Award Winners
High Point, N.C. - 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 Tuesday with the top eight teams qualifying for quarterfinal action. Semifinal play continues today with the championship final on Saturday. The final four games will be played at host Erskine College in Due West, SC with the tournament champion receiving an automatic berth to the NCAA DII championships. Link to the women's volleyball championship page for more details.
Offensive Player of the Year
Summer Kremer, King University
Outside Hitter, Senior
King University's Summer Kremer was named Conference Carolinas' Women's Volleyball Player of the Year after leading the league in kills. The senior outside hitter has ranked near the top of NCAA Division II in kills all season and is currently third with 495 kills going into the conference tournament semifinals. For the season, Kremer has averaged 4.50 kills per set, which ranks second in Conference Carolinas. Not only has the Mills River, North Carolina native been one of the top offensive performers in the league, but she has been solid on the defensive end as well, posting 18 double-doubles this season. Her 354 digs rank her seventh in the league, and her 3.22 digs per set average is 11th. Kremer has reached 20 digs in a match eight times while accounting for at least 20 digs six times. Her best match may have come in a 3-2 win over Flagler College where she posted a career-high 31 digs to go along with a season-high 24 kills.
Defensive Player of the Year
Libero/Defensive Specialist, Junior
Junior Jessica Onken (Derby, Kan.) anchored the Saints defense that led the Blue and Gold to a 16-15 overall record and a 13-3 record in league play. She leads the team with 419 digs and was fourth overall in the conference in that category. Onken is also second on the team in sets played with 96. Playing her first year at the libero position, Onken has accustomed herself into the role and helped the Saints to the second best mark in league play, averaging 4.36 digs per set that was good enough for fourth in the conference.
Freshman of the Year
Outside Hitter, Freshman
In her first year with the Blue and Gold, outside hitter Rycki Ebert (Sussex, Wisc.) has made a dominant presence on court with her team-leading 282 kills and 3.95 points per set. Her total kill numbers are good for ninth in the conference while her kill per set average of 3.44 is good enough for sixth in the league. Her solid numbers across the board have helped the Saints to finish off the regular season with five straight victories in straight sets, tying a program record. Ebert also showed her accuracy in her kills as she sits second on the team with a .205 hitting percentage.
Coach of the Year
4th season as Head Coach
Head Coach Heather Vahjen directed her team to their first-ever Conference Carolinas Regular Season Championship, going an impressive 14-2 in conference. The Flying Fleet clinched the regular season title and the overall #1 seed in the conference tournament with two games remaining in the regular season. The Flying Fleet (19-8) are just one win away from tying their single-season win mark of 20 games set back in 2010. This is the second time Coach Vahjen has been voted Coach of the Year by her peers.
All-Conference 1st-Team
Hannah Schellenberg, Belmont Abbey
Summer Kremer, King
Caitlin Bullock, Erskine
Melissa Cochran, Barton
Rycki Ebert, Limestone
Kristen Dodge, Erskine
Payton Tipton, King
All-Conference 2nd-Team
Kelly Sullivan, Erskine
Jariliz Cotté, Lees-McRae
Lauren Willoughby, King
Erin Courtenay, Limestone
Grace Underwood, King
Olivia Underwood, King
Amanda Grandy, Barton
All-Conference 3rd-Team
Yomi Adeyeye, North Greenville
Caitlin Hankins, Belmont Abbey
Sade Mendez, Erskine
Rachel Burts, North Greenville
Jordan Banta, Lees-McRae
Gabby Martinez, Belmont Abbey
Aubrey Crosby, Converse
Conference Regular Season Champions
King University - North Division
Erskine College - South Division
