DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Sun Conference announced the 2013 All-Conference volleyball team at the conference tournament banquet on Thursday evening. The All-Conference roster was voted on by the league head coaches and featured 16 student-athletes representing five schools.
Southeastern’s Terry Thomas was named the 2013 Coach of the Year after guiding the Fire to an 11-win improvement of last year. One year ago, Southeastern finished 9-26 overall and was 3-7 in conference play; in 2013, Thomas led the Fire to a 20-13 overall mark and an 8-3 league record, earning the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors went to Southeastern’s Carol Reis. A junior middle blocker from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Reis transferred to SEU from Vernon College this year. Reis led the conference with a .361 hitting percentage which ranks 18th in the NAIA. Her 394 kills also led the conference, while her 3.10 kills/set is fourth-best in the league. Reis was dominant at the net, registering a league-leading 102 blocks at an average of 0.80 blocks/set, which ranks third in the conference. She also recorded 30 service aces, good for 10th in the league.
Embry-Riddle’s Hannah Gray garnered Libero of the Year recognition for the second consecutive season. A junior from Orange City, Fla., she leads the conference with 625 digs and ranks second in the country with 6.44 digs per set. Her 44 digs vs. Madonna on August are the most digs in a match in The Sun Conference this season.
Embry-Riddle sophomore Tamires Ferreira was named the Setter of the Year in her first season in the conference. The Barbacena, Brazil native stepped in to replace four-time Setter of the Year Adriana Vazquez at Embry-Riddle, and she has been up to the task. Her 941 assists this season are second in the conference, while her 10.01 assists/set lead the league and rank 27th in the country. Ferreira also ranks second in the conference with 53 service aces and leads the league and ranks 19th in the nation with an average of 0.56 aces/set.
Southeastern’s Laura Ackart was selected as the 2013 Champion of Character Award winner. A senior defensive specialist for the Fire, Ackart has racked up 308 digs and 47 service aces on the season. Described by Head Coach Terry Thomas as a class act through and through who exemplifies all of the Champion of Character qualities, Ackart has gone to Costa Rica and Bangladesh to help lead sports camps and work at schools and orphanages.
The 2013 Sun Conference tournament hosted by Embry-Riddle gets underway at 4 p.m. on Friday with No. 3 St. Thomas taking on No. 2 Southeastern followed by No. 5 Webber International against No. 1 Embry-Riddle at 7 p.m. The winners of the semifinals will meet in Saturday’s final at 2 p.m.
2013 All-Conference First Team
Carol Reis – Southeastern
Tamires Ferreira – Embry-Riddle
Nicole McInnis – St. Thomas
Hannah Gray – Embry-Riddle
Emily Jacobson – Embry-Riddle
Katie Lindstrom – Webber International
Dana Nowaczyk – St. Thomas
Jennifer Beatty – Embry-Riddle
2013 All-Conference Second Team
Adrienne Czaplewski – Warner
Christi Limpert – Southeastern
Heather Lockwood – Warner
Marisa Markus – St. Thomas
Marisa Moralobo – Warner
Monica Lowe – Southeastern
Tiffani Pate – Warner
Michelle Einzinger – Webber International
Champion of Character
Laura Ackart - Southeastern
Newcomer of the Year
Carol Reis - Southeastern
Libero of the Year
Hannah Gray - Embry-Riddle
Setter of the Year
Tamires Ferreira - Embry-Riddle
Player of the Year
Carol Reis - Southeastern
Coach of the Year
Terry Thomas - Southeastern
Academic All-Conference
Marian DeTar, Ave Maria
Lilla Lukacs, Ave Maria
Natalie McClain, Ave Maria
Hannah Gray, Embry-Riddle
Veera Hietala, Embry-Riddle
Erin McIntyre, Embry-Riddle
Sabrina Beckles, Florida Memorial
Mikala Luckey, Florida Memorial
Kelsie Kopicki, Northwood
Geradar Victor, Northwood
Madeline Hanshaw, Southeastern
Katie Trenski, Southeastern
Laura Ackatt, Southeastern
Christi Limpert, Southeastern
Kelsey Whalen, Southeastern
Jordan Wiese, St. Thomas
Taylor Eiken, Webber International
Katie Lindstrom, Webber International
Rachel Meiner, Warner