WINGATE, N.C. – Sixteen student-athletes, representing 11 institutions, make up the second annual North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) College Division All-State volleyball teams released Friday.
Wingate University leads the all-state first team with two selections, including senior Melissa DeLuca, one of three repeat picks. Catawba College has three students honored among the two units, including two-time all-state selections Melissa Powers and Andi Henderson.
The squads consist of student-athletes from 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 units consists of one setter, two outside hitters, two middle hitters/blockers, one right-side/opposite hitter and one libero/defensive specialist. The second team includes two setters and three outside hitters due to ties in the voting.
Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from North Carolina’s NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions for the purpose of promoting college athletics in the state. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina whose responsibilities include sports information. NCCSIA selects all-state teams in the university (NCAA Division I) and college (Division II, III, NAIA, NCCAA) divisions for women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and baseball. Over 500 student-athletes have been recognized on all-state teams since 2003.
NCCSIA’s all-state university division volleyball and all-state soccer teams were released earlier in the week. The organization will announce its fourth annual all-state men’s and women’s basketball squads in March.
North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association
2007 College Division All-State Volleyball Teams
First TeamPos. Name Class School Hometown
Setter Melissa DeLuca# Sr. Wingate Bahama, N.C.
Outside Hitter Daviana Metti Sr. Lees-McRae Cordoba, Argentina
Outside Hitter Sam Mitchell Sr. Mount Olive Boyol, Wis.
Middle Blocker Stormi Gale Fr. Wingate Richmond, Texas
Middle Blocker Melissa Powers* Jr. Catawba Bennett, N.C.
Right Side Katie Novacek Jr. Lenoir-Rhyne Raleigh, N.C.
Libero Joy Daniels Sr. Greensboro Wanchese, N.C.
Second TeamPosition Name Class School Hometown
Setter Andi Henderson* Sr. Catawba Swansboro, N.C.
Setter Laura Sayabouth Jr. Meredith Cary, N.C.
Outside Hitter Melissa Griffith Jr. Catawba Williamsburg, Va.
Outside Hitter Whitney Sorenson Jr. Salem Glendale, Ariz.
Outside Hitter Morgan White So. Meredith Raleigh, N.C.
Middle Blocker Brittany Insley So. N.C. Wesleyan Arlington, Ohio
Middle Blocker Racey Bartley So. Mount Olive Jacksonville, N.C.
Right Side Sharetta Riggins Jr. Shaw Alexander City, Ala.
Libero Andrea Laza So. UNC Pembroke Cary, N.C.
# - 2006 NCCSIA College Division All-State Volleyball First Team selection
* - 2006 NCCSIA College Division All-State Volleyball Second Team selection
Setter Melissa DeLuca and middle blocker Stormi Gale led Wingate to 33-2 overall record in 2007, including a perfect 14-0 mark in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC). DeLuca led the conference in assists and was named the MVP of the Food Lion SAC Tournament for the second straight year. The 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® first-team selection and three-time All-SAC pick became Wingate’s all-time assists leader this year. She was named an honorable mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association (AVCA). As a true freshman, Gale led Wingate with 3.47 kills and 1.26 blocks per game. She named a First Team All-SAC selection and the SAC Freshman of the Year.
Catawba’s trio of middle blocker Melissa Powers, setter Andi Henderson and outside hitter Melissa Griffith helped the Indians to a 25-9 overall record in 2007. Powers, a First Team All-SAC selection, led the league with 5.27 kills per game and a .347 hitting percentage. Henderson set a school-record with 12.94 assists per game, while also setting the career record. The second-team all-conference member had 15 matches with 50 or more assists. Griffith ranked ninth in the league with 3.35 kills per game and sixth with 4.40 digs per game. A Second Team All-SAC selection three years in a row, Griffin had 20 double-doubles (kills and digs) this year.
Mount Olive College’s Sam Mitchell and Racey Bartley led the Trojans to a 17-15 overall record. Mitchell was the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year. She led the league in kills per game and ranked fifth in hitting percentage. An AVCA honorable mention All-American, Mitchell holds the school record in career digs and ranks second in career kills. Bartley was a second-team Daktronics all-region and an All-Conference Carolinas selection. She led the league in blocks per game and ranked second with a .381 hitting percentage.
Laura Sayabouth and Morgan White were Second Team All-State selections from Meredith College. A sophomore, White led the team with 350 kills during the season. A junior, Sayabouth led the team with 8.32 assists per game.
Senior outside hitter Daviana Metti helped Lees-McRae College to a 26-12 season. The First Team All-Conference Carolinas pick earned AVCA all-region honors and was MVP of the Conference Carolinas Championships. Metti led the league with a career-high 592 kills and finished second on the team with 2.82 digs per game.
Junior right-side hitter Katie Novacek led Lenoir-Rhyne College with 0.81 blocks per game and a .268 hitting percentage. She was a First Team All-SAC selection, averaging 2.39 kills per game. Senior libero Joy Daniels helped Greensboro College to a 23-16 record. She led the USA South Athletic Conference with 617 digs, averaging 4.2 per game. She was a second-team all-conference selection and a two-time conference defensive Player of the Week. The USA South coaches voted her the league’s Libero of the Year.
Junior outside hitter Whitney Sorenson started all 23 matches for Salem College and led the team with 4.37 kills per game. She set the single season school records for kills, kills per game, digs and digs per game. She was selected to the all-tournament team at the Gallaudet University Tournament.
Sophomore middle blocker Brittany Insley was a First Team All-USA South selection for North Carolina Wesleyan College and helped the Bishops to a 21-14 record. She led the team with 4.21 kills per game and set the school record with 539 kills. Insley also led the way with a .298 hitting percentage.
Junior right-side hitter Sharetta Riggins was a First Team All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) selection for Shaw University. She led the team with 3.36 kills per game, which ranked fourth in the CIAA. She was second on the team with 2.48 digs per game and third with 22 service aces.
Sophomore libero Andrea Laza led UNC Pembroke with 798 digs, which placed second in the Peach Belt Conference. She had 20 matches with 20 or more digs during the season, including a league-record 50 digs against Lander.
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