SAVANNAH, Ga. – On the heels of helping lead the Trojans to their fifth consecutive South Atlantic Conference Tournament appearance, Anderson University's standout middle blocker Rachel Burts has been named to the Second-Team All-Southeast Region squad by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Burts was named Second-Team All-South Atlantic Conference after leading the league with 121 total blocks, 36 solo blocks and ranking fourth in the SAC with 85 block assists. The Electric City native posted double-figure kills in 14 matches, including 13 of the final 17 outings and was second on the team with 269 kills. Burts ranked 36th nationally in total blocks and led the conference with a .326 hitting percentage. She wrapped up the season in eighth place in the school record books for total blocks in a single season, while posting at least five total blocks in 13 matches, including a season-high nine at Newberry.
Montevallo junior middle hitter Kristy Bohan was named the Southeast Region Player of the Year, while seven of the eight teams in action in this weekend's NCAA Southeast Regional had representation.
The 2016 Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year and the league's leader in kills per set (4.26) and points per set (5.2), Bohan also earns first-team All-Region honors after being named a second-team honoree a year ago.
Two first-team honorees from a year ago return on the 2016 squad as Wingate senior rightside hitter Abby Saehler and Flagler junior middle hitter Sara Davis each earned a spot on the team for a second consecutive season.
Region top seed and host USC Aiken had three players on the first team with senior outside hitter Taylor Stratton, junior setter Emily Teelon and senior libero Danielle Mercer. Queens senior outside hitter Meredith Jones rounds out the first-team squad.
The D2CCA teams are voted on by the NCAA Division II members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) from the Southeast Region, which is comprised of schools from Conference Carolinas, the South Atlantic Conference and the Peach Belt Conference.
The second team includes Barton sophomore outside hitter Hayley Marshburn, Lander senior rightside hitter Halle Dotson, Lincoln Memorial sophomore rightside hitter Samantha Cash and senior setter Abby Cash, Anderson's Burts and Francis Marion senior middle hitter Caroline Boone. There was a tie for the second-team libero spot so both Tusculum sophomore Melissa Mazur and Wingate freshman Treslyn Ortiz earned a spot on the team.
In all, players from 11 different schools were represented on the team, including seven of eight region participants in this week's regional – top-seeded USC Aiken (3), second-seeded Wingate (2), third-seeded Flagler (1), fifth-seeded Lincoln Memorial (1), sixth-seeded Queens (NC) (1), seventh-seeded Lander (1) and eighth-seeded Barton (1). Fourth-seeded Armstrong State did not have a selection.
The Division II Conference Commissioners Association encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.
2016 D2CCA All-Southeast Region Volleyball Team
First Team
Pos Name School Yr Hometown
OH/RS # Abby Saehler Wingate Sr. Iowa City, Iowa
OH Meredith Jones Queens (NC) Sr. Blythewood, S.C.
OH Taylor Stratton USC Aiken Sr. Chesapeake, Va.
MH ^ Kristy Bohan Montevallo Jr. Huntsville, Ala.
MH # Sara Davis Flagler Jr. Akron, Ohio
Lib Danielle Mercer USC Aiken Sr. Columbus, Ohio
S Emily Teelon USC Aiken Jr. Aiken, S.C.
Second Team
Pos Name School Yr Hometown
OH Hayley Marshburn Barton So. Henderson, N.C.
OH/RS Halle Dotson Lander Sr. Titusville, Fla.
OH/RS Samantha Cash Lincoln MemorialSo. New Carlisle, Ohio
MH Rachel Burts Anderson Sr. Anderson, S.C.
MH Caroline Boone Francis Marion Sr. Roanoke, Va.
Lib # Melissa Mazur Tusculum So. Chicago, Ill.
Treslyn Ortiz Wingate Fr. Texas City, Texas
S Abby Cash Lincoln MemorialSr. New Carlisle, Ohio
Southeast Region Player of the Year
Kristy Bohan, Montevallo (MH, Jr., Huntsville, Ala.)
# - 2015 D2CCA All-Southeast Region First Team honoree
^ - 2015 D2CCA All-Southeast Region Second Team honoree
