Belmont Abbey College's Schellenberg Headlines 2015 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Awards
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Belmont Abbey College outside hitter Hannah Schellenberg was voted the 2015 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Player of the Year, while the Erskine College duo of Kendall Kirk and Payton Duncan were named the Conference's Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively. Rounding out the honors was Erskine's Heather Vahjen being named the Coach of the Year, the conference announced today.
Schellenberg, a senior from Jacksonville, Fla., finished the 2015 season as one of the best players in the nation. She tallied 550 kills for 4.82 kills per set and registered 398 digs for a 3.49 digs per set average. Schellenberg's kill total, kills per set and points per set (5.33) averages all rank second in all of NCAA Division II, while her 1,424 total attacks ranks first. Schellenberg, who also won the 2013 Player of the Year, was the first Conference Carolinas women's volleyball player to win AVCA National Player of the Week honors and also won conference player of the week honors three times.
A junior from Lexington, S.C., Kirk led Conference Carolinas with a 5.31 digs per set average and dug a league second-best 499 balls. She registered double-figure digs in all but three of the 26 matches she appeared in, while compiling 20+ digs in 10 matches.
Duncan, an outside hitter from Gaffney, S.C., had a stellar freshman campaign for the Flying Fleet, finishing 11th in the conference with 266 kills. The rookie added 268 digs, which ranked 14th in the league. Her 2.89 kills per set and 2.91 digs per set ranked 12th and 13th in the league, respectively.
Vahjen earns her second straight Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year award, third overall, after leading the Fleet to its second consecutive Conference Carolinas regular season championship. Erskine posted a 19-6 regular season record, which included a program best 15-1 conference mark and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Championship.
Erskine led the way with three first team all-conference selections, as Kristen Dodge joined Kirk and Duncan. In addition to Schellenberg, King's Lauren Willoughby, Barton's Stephanie Pingyin and Limestone's Rycki Ebert rounded out the first team.
Women's All-Conference First-Team
Hannah Schellenberg, Belmont Abbey
Stephanie Pingyin, Barton
Lauren Willoughby, King
Payton Duncan, Erskine
Rycki Ebert, Limestone
Kendall Kirk, Erskine
Kristen Dodge, Erskine
Women's All-Conference Second-Team
Yomi Adeyeye, North Greenville
Kelly Sullivan, Erskine
Erin Courtenay, Limestone
Caitlin Hankins, Belmont Abbey
Darla Svoboda, Limestone
Hannah Lewis, North Greenville
Gabby Martinez, Belmont Abbey
Women's All-Conference Third-Team
Ashleigh Manke, King
Sarah Collins, King
Jordan Banta, Lees-McRae
Marissa Greenough, Erskine
Megan Gouge, North Greenville
Amy Serowski, King
Madison Pogue, North Greenville
Women's Volleyball Regular Season Division Champions
Erskine College - South Division
King University - North Division
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athleticsconference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan University. Emmanuel College and Southern Wesleyan University are currently completing the NCAA DII membership process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.