Both the Catawba Indians and the Wingate Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Division II play-offs in 2008. Catawba’s first team members are senior middle blocker Melissa Powers (pictured) and senior outside hitter Melissa Griffith. Wingate’s first team selections are sophomore middle blocker Stormi Gale and freshman setter Liz Willis. The Bulldogs (31-2 overall in 2008) had three All-State picks in 2008, as freshman libero Maggie Malone made the second team. The squad consists of student-athletes from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA colleges and universities throughout the state. North Carolina sports information professionals submitted nominees and NCCSIA members selected the teams. The all-state first team unit consists of one setter, two outside hitters, two middle hitters/blockers and one libero/defensive specialist. The second team includes seven student-athletes, with three middle hitters/blockers due to ties in the voting.
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. More than 400 student-athletes have been recognized on all-state teams since 2003.
NCCSIA’s all-state soccer teams were released in December. The organization will release its sixth annual all-state men’s and women’s basketball squads in March.
North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association
2008 College Division All-State Volleyball Team
First Team
Position Name Class School Hometown
Setter Liz Willis Fr. Wingate Raleigh, N.C.
Outside Hitter Melissa Griffith# Sr. Catawba Williamsburg, Va.
Outside Hitter Kacie Hyatt Jr. Greensboro Randleman, N.C.
Middle Blocker Stormi Gale# So. Wingate Richmond, Texas
Middle Blocker Melissa Powers#& Sr. Catawba Bennett, N.C.
Libero Mary Beth Finegan Fr. Meredith Chapel Hill, N.C.
Second Team
Position Name Class School Hometown
Setter Morgan Liebert Sr. Pfeiffer Huntersville, N.C.
Outside Hitter Alicia Mote Jr. Mount Olive Miami, Fla.
Outside Hitter Petra Ljubicic Sr. Pfeiffer Asheboro, N.C.
Middle Blocker Racey Bartley# Jr. Mount Olive Jacksonville, N.C.
Middle Blocker Nett McCollough So. Chowan San Antonio, Texas
Middle Blocker Galina Podolsky Jr. SAPC Raleigh, N.C.
Libero Maggie Malone Fr. Wingate Chicago, Ill.
#-2007 NCCSIA College Division volleyball team selection
&-2006 NCCSIA College Division volleyball team selection
(SAPC is St. Andrews Presbyterian College)
(Full profiles of all-state members are listed below…)
First team
Liz Willis…Wingate...Freshman…Setter
Team Record: 31-2
Matches Played/Started: 35/35
Kills Avg.: 0.63
Digs Avg.: 2.39
Blocks Avg.: 0.17
Hitting Percentage: .256
Assists Avg.: 9.80
Service Ace Avg.: 0.32
Willis was the AVCA Southeast Region Freshman of the Year and the South Atlantic Conference FOTY…She was a second team All-SAC selection while also earning all-freshman honors this year…Willis led the SAC with 9.80 assists per set, while helping Wingate lead the SAC in kills and rank second in hitting percentage…She also ranked third on the team with 2.39 digs per set while collecting 69 kills and 35 aces on the year…Willis led the Bulldogs with 11 double-doubles during the 2008 season…Raleigh, N.C.
Melissa Griffith…Catawba...Senior…Outside Hitter
Team Record: 22-11
Matches Played/Started: 33/33
Kills Avg.: 3.30
Digs Avg.: 3.16
Blocks Avg.: 0.22
Hitting Percentage: .243
Assists Avg.: 0.19
Service Ace Avg.: 0.27
Griffith was named AVCA and CoSIDA first team All-Southeast Region…She was named to Southeast Region All-Tournament team as she helped Catawba to the Southeast Region final… four-time All-South Atlantic Conference selection…Griffith finished second at Catawba in career kills and third in career digs…Griffith had career-high 30 kills in first round match at NCAA II Southeast Regional and posted 24 kills in semifinal win over top-seeded Wingate at same event…Williamsburg, Va.
Kacie Hyatt…Greensboro...Junior…Outside hitter
Team Record: 17-21
Matches Played/Started: 38/38
Kills Avg.: 4.19
Digs Avg.: 1.64
Blocks Avg.: 0.31
Hitting Percentage: .252
Assists Avg.: 0.18
Service Ace Avg.: 0.84
Hyatt started all 38 games for GC…In 2008, she had 549 kills; three shy of school record…Hyatt was named first team, All-USA South Conference…She had 31 kills in Oct. 11 match vs. SUNY Oneonta…Hyatt is a two-time USA South POTW for the Pride…Randleman, N.C.
Stormi Gale…Wingate...Sophomore…Middle blocker
Team Record: 31-2
Matches Played/Started: 30/28
Kills Avg.: 3.57
Digs Avg.: 2.40
Blocks Avg.: 0.86
Hitting Percentage: .319
Assists Avg.: 0.16
Service Ace Avg.: 0.33
A two-time first team All-SAC selection, Gale has earned all-tourney honors in both SAC (MVP) and NCAA regionals this year…A 2008 AVCA and Daktronics first team All-Region pick, Gale led WU and finished fourth in SAC with 3.57 kills per set…Also, she was third in league with a .319 hitting pct. and fourth with 0.86 blocks per set….On WU team charts: second with 2.40 digs per set and 10 double-doubles…In postseason, she averaged 4.17 kills, 2.44 digs and 1.28 blocks per set in SAC tourney and NCAA regionals, hitting .399….Gale had 21 matches with double-digit kills this year…Richmond, Texas
Melissa Powers…Catawba…Senior…Middle blocker
Team Record: 22-11
Matches Played/Started: 33/33
Kills Avg.: 4.30
Digs Avg.: 1.68
Blocks Avg.: 0.95
Hitting Percentage: .300
Assists Avg.: 0.08
Service Ace Avg.: 0.36
Powers was named AVCA third team NCAA II All-American and first team All-Southeast Region in 2008…CoSIDA Southeast Region Player of the Year and South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year…She led Catawba in kills, blocks and aces in helping Catawba to the Southeast Region final (Sweet 16)…Powers ranked among top 10 in NCAA II in kills the last two seasons…She holds school marks for kills in a match, season and career…Powers was named AVCA National Player of the Week twice in a career (once in 2008 and once in 2007)…She is a three-time All-SAC selection and two-time all-region pick…Bennett, N.C.
Mary Beth Finegan…Meredith...Freshman…Libero
Team Record: 11-22
Games Played: 122
Kills Avg.: 0.11
Digs Avg.: 5.47
Blocks Avg.: 0.00
Hitting Percentage: .024
Assists Avg.: 0.24
Service Ace Avg.: 0.34
Finegan was first in the USA South Athletic Conference in digs, averaging 5.47/set…Her total was good enough to be ranked 37th nationally in Division III…Finegan's regular season total of 641 set a new school and USA South record…Additionally, she was named USA South Libero of the Year and earned Honorable Mention All-Conference Honors…In addition, Finegan was named USA South Rookie of the Week once and Defensive Player of the Week once this season…Chapel Hill, N.C.
Second team
Morgan Liebert…Pfeiffer...Senior…Setter
Team Record: 27-6
Games Played: 130
Kills Avg.: 0.55
Digs Avg.: 2.28
Blocks Avg.: 0.19
Hitting Percentage: .103
Assists Avg.: 9.54
Service Ace Avg.: 0.40
Morgan Liebert tallied 1240 assists this season…She ranked third in Conference Carolinas in assists per game (9.54)…She led her team in service aces with 52 and ranked in the top 10 in the conference…Liebert earned 2008 first team All-Conference honors and was named Conference Carolinas Player of the Week for the first week of the season…Morgan helped lead her team to new school records of most overall wins (27) and most conference wins (18) in a season…Pfeiffer finished the fall as regular season champions…Huntersville, N.C.
Alicia Mote…Mount Olive...Junior…Outside hitter
Team Record: 19-17
Matches Played/Started: 35/35
Kills Avg.: 3.69
Digs Avg.: 2.74
Blocks Avg.: 0.23
Hitting Percentage: .225
Assists Avg.: 0.03
Service Ace Avg.: 0.28
2008 AVCA All-Southeast Region honorable mention and All-Conference Carolinas second team…Mote ranks 25th in nation, second in conference in kills…She posted 22 kills, 18 digs in four-set win over regionally second-ranked Carson-Newman and recorded 17 double-doubles (kills and digs), including two double-doubles in three conference tournament matches…Mount Olive eliminated 10-time defending champion Lees-McRae in quarterfinal round of league tourney…MOC defeated top-seeded and regionally seventh-ranked Pfeiffer in semifinal round of same event…Trojans advanced to tournament title match…Miami, Fla.
Petra Ljubicic…Pfeiffer...Senior…Outside hitter
Team Record: 27-6
Games Played: 130
Kills Avg.: 3.14
Digs Avg.: 2.63
Blocks Avg.: 0.29
Hitting Percentage: .223
Assists Avg.: 0.36
Service Ace Avg.: 0.36
Ljubicic led the Falcons in kills per game this season (3.14)...She ranked second on the squad in service aces per game (.36) and total service aces (47)...Ljubicic had the second highest dig per game average on the team (2.63)…She ranked seventh in the conference in kills and tenth in service aces…She was named a first team All-Conference selection in 2008 and tallied her 1,000 career kill this season…Ljubicic helped lead her team to new school records of most overall wins (27) and most conference wins (18) in a season…Pfeiffer finished the fall as regular season champions…Asheboro, N.C.
Racey Bartley...Mount Olive...Junior…Middle blocker
Team Record: 19-17
Matches Played/Started: 36/36
Kills Avg.: 3.23
Digs Avg.: 1.18
Blocks Avg.: 0.80
Hitting Percentage: .400
Assists Avg.: 0.05
Service Ace Avg.: 0.58
2008 AVCA All-Southeast Region first team and Daktronics All-Southeast Region second team…Also, All-Conference Carolinas first team this year…Bartley ranked 6th in nation in hitting percentage, 16th in aces per game…She was only Conference Carolinas player to rank in top six in league in hitting percentage (1st), aces (1st), blocks (5th) and kills (6th)…She was named to All-Tournament Team at league tourney…MOC eliminated 10-time defending champion Lees-McRae in quarterfinal round of CC tourney…Trojans defeated top-seeded and regionally seventh-ranked Pfeiffer in semis, advancing title match in the process…Jacksonville, N.C.
Antoinette McCollough...Chowan...Sophomore…Middle blocker
Team Record: 22-12
Matches Played/Started: 34/34
Kills Avg.: 2.84
Digs Avg.: 1.60
Blocks Avg.: 1.94
Hitting Percentage: .361
Assists Avg.: 0.79
Service Ace Avg.: 0.82
McCollough is a returning All NCCAA South Region performer from a year ago…The sophomore middle blocker led the team in kills (299) and led the NCCAA national stats in attack percentage (.367)…She committed only 77 errors in 605 attempts…She set a new school record for kills in a match with 24 against N.C. Wesleyan…She is also the current record holder for season blocks and season kills…She was named to the NCCAA South Region First Team and the South Region NCCAA All Tournament Team this year after helping CU post a 22-12 overall record…San Antonio, Texas
Galina Podolsky…St. Andrews Presbyterian…Junior…Middle blocker
Team Record: 13-20
Games Played/Started: 124/124
Kills Avg.: 3.27
Digs Avg.: 2.41
Blocks Avg.: 0.79
Hitting Percentage: .209
Assists Avg.: 0.17
Service Ace Avg.: 0.46
Galina Podolsky was named to the 2008 Conference Carolinas All-Conference second team…2007 Conference Carolinas All-Conference honorable mention selection…In 2006, she was the CVAC Freshman of the Year…Conference Carolinas Player of the Week (09/23/2008)…ranked in the top 10 of the conference in kills (3.27), blocks (0.79) and aces (0.46) while also providing 2.41 digs/set…She joined the 1000-kill club this year…13 double-doubles on the season…She has accumulated 1073 kills, 523 digs, 323 blocks, 156 aces, and 45 assists in her first three years at SAPC…team leader in kills, blocks, and aces…Raleigh, N.C.
Maggie Malone…Wingate...Freshman…Libero
Team Record: 31-2
Matches Played: 33
Kills Avg.: 0.02
Digs Avg.: 3.94
Blocks Avg.: 0.00
Hitting Percentage: -.120
Assists Avg.: 0.23
Service Ace Avg.: 0.36
Maggie Malone is a first team All-SAC and All-Region selection (both Daktronics and AVCA)…Malone finished fourth in the SAC with 3.94 digs per set, while leading the conference with 4.27 digs per set against league opponents…She also led the Bulldog team with 40 aces…Malone also earned all-freshman team honors in the SAC…Malone had 23 matches with at least 10 digs on the year…Chicago, Ill.
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