Conference Carolinas Unveils 2023 Women’s Volleyball All-Conference Honors
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Conference Carolinas has unveiled its 2023 women’s volleyball all-conference honors as chosen by the league’s head coaches on Thursday, Nov. 16.
Abigail Durham of North Greenville was named the Offensive Player of the Year for the third straight season, Morgan Prots of Mount Olive was named Defensive Player of the Year, Anna Fiddelke of North Greenville was the Freshman of the Year and Mount Olive head coach Emma Celentano was named Coach of the Year.
A senior from Easley, South Carolina, Durham was the offensive catalyst for the Crusaders as she averaged a league-best 4.97 kills per set and the second-most total kills with 298 in 60 league sets this season. She also led the league in points per set at 5.57 as she totaled 334 points during conference play. Overall, Durham was second in points per set (5.11) and total kills (460) while finishing the regular-season eighth in attack percentage (.281). The right-side is the only women’s volleyball player from North Greenville to win the award and the only player in conference history to win the award in three consecutive seasons.
Prots is the first Trojan to ever win the Defensive Player of the Year honor which began being awarded in 2012. The senior libero from Whispering Pines, North Carolina averaged 4.48 digs per set with 278 total digs in 62 league sets. Both numbers rank fifth in the league. Prots’ 494 total digs ranks second in the league overall this season while her 4.53 digs per set (109 sets) ranks fifth-best.
A freshman middle blocker from Piedmont, South Carolina, Fiddelke impressed in her first season in Conference Carolinas as she hit .335 in 57 conference sets which ranked sixth-best while totaling 124 total kills. She was also big at the net with 43 total blocks which ranks seventh in the league and she averaged .75 blocks per set which ranks ninth. Her .302 attack percentage (207 kills) overall this season ranks sixth-best, her 65 blocks ranks seventh and her .70 blocks per set (93 sets) rank 10th-best in the conference. Fiddelke is the first Crusader to win the honor since it began in 1995.
In her fourth year as the head coach for the Trojans, Celentano earned Coach of the Year honors for the first time as she led the Trojans to the top seed in the 2023 Conference Carolinas Women’s Volleyball Championship. Mount Olive is 20-10 overall and 14-3 in league play this season. Celentano is the second Mount Olive coach to win the honor, first since Chad Davis in 2002. The Trojans offense is second in the league with 1,449 total kills (12.94 per set) and leads the conference in total points with 1,854, 16.55 per set. They also lead the conference in service aces (266) and digs per set (17.61) while limiting the opposition to a .179 attack percentage.
2023 Conference Carolinas Women’s Volleyball All-Conference
Offensive Player of the Year
Abigail Durham, North Greenville
Defensive Player of the Year
Morgan Prots, Mount Olive
Freshman of the Year
Anna Fiddelke, North Greenville
Coach of the Year
Emma Celentano, Mount Olive
First Team
Abigail Durham, North Greenville
Vanja Przulj, UNC Pembroke
Karoline Cox, Mount Olive
Alaina Emminger, Emmanuel
Destiny Holley, Lees-McRae
Morgan Prots, Mount Olive (Libero)
Kaylee Gillespie, Francis Marion (Setter)
Second Team
Caroline Lucas, Francis Marion
Allison Gambill, Barton
Ashlyn Stone, Mount Olive
Hailee Blankenship, King
Sydney Stigler, Lees-McRae
Lauren Xayavong, Lees-McRae (Libero)
Ashlyn Conner, North Greenville (Setter)
Third Team
Kara Walker, Francis Marion
Emily Hanson, Emmanuel
Anna Fiddelke, North Greenville
Ruby Countryman, UNC Pembroke
Elena Dyer, North Greenville
Joha Bernis, Young Harris (Libero)
Katie Pressley, UNC Pembroke (Setter)