AVCA Announces Division II Regional Award Winners
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its regional award winners on Wednesday (Nov. 21) with the SAC receiving 12 individual honors. Wingate led the southeast with six mentions.
On the heels of winning the southeast region title, the Bulldogs collected both the Region Player of the Year (Rachel Alles) and Coach of the Year (Shelton Collier).
A junior setter, Alles earned her second career All-Region Team nod. Thus far in the season, the Tinley Park, Ill. native has accumulated 109 kills on a .298 hitting percentage, 1300 assists (11.61 per set), 31 service aces, 363 digs, and 70 total blocks while playing in 112 sets.
Collier is currently in his 17th season with Wingate (32-1, 19-1 SAC), who earned the No. 4 seed in the Bulldogs' first NCAA Quarterfinal appearance since 2007. On their way to a fifth region title win and 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, Wingate started the season with 25 straight wins. The honor is Collier's seventh AVCA Division II Region Coach of the Year (2008-10, 2013-14, 2016, 2018). He also earned the award three times in Division I while the head coach at Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech (1987, 1991, 1995).
Also from Wingate, Hannah Givens (SR, OH) and Phoebe Havenaar (SR, MB), her second such honor, earned spots on the All-Region Team Kori Adams (RS-SR, L) collected an Honorable Mention.
From Anderson, Emily Conlin (JR, S) earned her second career All-Region Selection and Hailee Wilhelm (RS-SO, MB) earned her first.
Carson-Newman's Morgan Ballard (JR, L) collected a place on the All-Region list.
Lenoir-Rhyne's Angelica Arroyo (SR, OH), Mars Hill's Sally Anne Johnson (JR, MB), and Lincoln Memorial's Rylee Storms (RS-JR, RS) rounded out the Honorable Mention list.
AVCA Division II Southeast All-Region Team
Rachel Alles**, Wingate
Emily Conlin**, Anderson
Hannah Givens, Wingate
Phoebe Havenaar**, Wingate
Morgan Ballard, Carson-Newman
Hailee Wilhelm, Anderson
Honorable Mention
Kori Adams, Wingate
Angelica Arroyo, Lenoir-Rhyne
Sally Anne Johnson, Mars Hill
Rylee Storms, Lincoln Memorial
Region Player of the Year: Rachel Alles, Wingate
Region Coach of the Year: Shelton Collier, Wingate
* Denotes total number of years selected to AVCA Division II All-Region Team
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