The North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) announced its selections for the 2014 College Division All-State Volleyball Team on Monday. Fourteen student-athletes from six North Carolina colleges and universities were selected to the first and second teams.
Nine-time defending South Atlantic Conference champion Wingate leads the way with five All-State selections. Four of Wingate’s five picks find a spot on the first team. Belmont Abbey, Brevard and Meredith complete the 2014 NCCSIA first team with one All-State performer each.
AVCA NCAA Division II third team All-Americans Alison Cooke and Abby Saehler lead the Wingate contingent. Cooke makes her third appearance on the NCCSIA All-State list, while Saehler is a first-time honoree.
A senior setter, Cooke earned third team All-American honors from the AVCA during her final Bulldog campaign. The first team All-SAC selection was named the SAC Tournament MVP, while also earning All-Region honors from Daktronics and the AVCA. Cooke handed out a league-best 10.50 assists per set this year, adding 2.51 digs per set. She helped Wingate hit .276 as a team, ranking fifth in the nation.
A sophomore middle hitter, Saehler earned third team All-American honors from the AVCA in 2014. She was a second team All-SAC selection, while also earning All-Region accolades from the AVCA. Saehler finished with 2.39 kills and 0.92 blocks per set, while compiling a .371 hitting percentage, ranking in the top 20 nationally.
Wingate senior middle hitter Lexi Potter and junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff complete the Bulldog first team quartet. Potter is a three-time NCCSIA All-State standout, while Stumpff makes her first appearance on the NCCSIA honor list.
Potter earned honorable mention All-American accolades during her final season. The 2013 second team All-American earned first team All-SAC honors each of her last three seasons, while collecting All-Region accolades from Daktronics and the AVCA. Potter averaged 2.47 kills per set in 2014, hitting a team-best .372, ranking in the top 20 nationally.
Stumpff was a first team All-SAC selection during her junior season at Wingate, while also earning All-Region recognition from the AVCA and Daktronics. She piled up a team-best 3.35 kills per set this year, adding 2.52 digs per set while ranking in the top 10 nationally with 0.59 aces per set.
Belmont Abbey junior outside hitter Hannah Schellenberg, Meredith sophomore outside hitter Karlie Long and Brevard sophomore libero Aleksandra Vrvilo join the Wingate quartet on the NCCSIA All-State first team. Schellenberg is two-time NCCSIA first team pick, while Long is promoted from her second team NCCSIA honor in 2013.
Schellenberg is a three-time All-Conference Carolinas first team member. Earlier this year, she became only the second player in BAC history to amass 1,000 career kills. She recorded 438 kills this year while hitting .267 with 292 digs, 22 service aces and 17 total blocks. Schellenberg led the nation in kills for two weeks in October. She is listed in the NCAA top 10 in attacks per set, kills per set and points per set.
An AVCA NCAA Division III honorable mention All-American, Long helped the Avenging Angels to a USA South North Division Championship title this fall. Meredith advanced to the semifinals of the league tournament for the first time since the college joined the USA South in 2007. Long had a Meredith single-season record 471 kills this year. She was named All-Conference for the second time, finishing the 2014 season ranked second in kills and kills per set among conference players.
Vrvilo was the anchor of the Brevard defense this season. The sophomore libero led the Southeast Region and ranked 21st nationally with 5.55 digs per set and finished the regular season second in the SAC with 583 total digs. Her 468 digs and 5.71 digs per set in league play led the conference; she finished the regular season second among SAC liberos with 107 assists and second on the BC team with 22 service aces. Vrvilo is already in second place in school history in digs and leads the program in digs per set with two years of eligibility remaining.
The NCCSIA All-State second team includes outside hitters Nicole Mathews (UNC Pembroke) and Susie Murach (Wingate), middle hitters Cecilia Brandon (UNC Pembroke) and Jasmine Aguinaldo (Meredith), right-side hitter Melanie Chaussee (Chowan), setter Allison Smith (Chowan) and libero Cindy Ehrich (Chowan).
Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions from the state of North Carolina. The organization seeks to promote collegiate athletics and student-athletes at all schools. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina, and whose area of responsibility lies within sports information.
NCCSIA selects All-State teams for men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball on the College (Division II, III, NAIA) and University (Division I) levels.
North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association
2014 College Division All-State Volleyball Teams
First Team
Pos. Name Class School Hometown OH Hannah Schellenberg # Jr. Belmont Abbey College Jacksonville, Fla. OH Karlie Long # So. Meredith College Roxboro, N.C. MB Abby Saehler So. Wingate University Iowa City, Iowa MB Lexi Potter # & Sr. Wingate University North Liberty, Iowa RS Shelly Stumpff & Jr. Wingate University Iowa City, Iowa S Alison Cooke # & Sr. Wingate University Davidson, N.C. L Aleksandra Vrvilo So. Brevard College Beaverton, Ore.
Second Team
Pos. Name Class School Hometown OH Nicole Mathews Jr. UNC Pembroke Barstow, Calif. OH Susie Murach Sr. Wingate University Burke, Va. MB Cecilia Brandon Jr. UNC Pembroke Black Mountain, N.C. MB Jasmine Aguialdo Jr. Meredith College Cary, N.C. RS Melanie Chaussee Sr. Chowan University Lawrence, Kan. S Allison Smith Sr. Chowan University Manassas, Va. L Cindy Ehrich Jr. Chowan University Fredericksburg, Va.
# – Named to 2013 All-State Team
& – Named to 2012 All-State Team