WINGATE, N.C. – On the eve of the 2018 NCAA Southeast Region Tournament, Anderson standout Emily Conlin has been named Second-Team All-Region, as announced by The Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association, Wednesday afternoon.
Conlin has started every match for the Trojans this season, while earning South Atlantic Conference Specialist of the Week honors on four occasions. The native of Glendale, Ariz., is a two-time First-Team All-SAC honoree and currently leads the SAC in assists, aces and aces per set, while ranking 12th in digs and 15th in digs per set.
She has posted recorded 21 double-doubles this season, including nine straight and has reached 40+ assists on 16 occasions and 50+ assists in six matches this season. She was named to the SAC All-Tournament Team last weekend and ranks third all-time in the school record books in total assists.
Conlin earned Academic All-America Honors last season and was named Honorable Mention All-America last season by the D2CCA. She is a member of SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the AU Dean's List.
Wingate junior setter Rachel Alles was named Southeast Region Player of the Year. The Bulldogs had a region-high three players earn All-Region honors, with USC Aiken earning a region-best two first-team honorees. In total, 11 different schools from the region had at least one player earn All-Region accolades. Voting for the D2CCA All-Region teams was conducted by the region's sports information directors
Alles is also the first team All-Region setter. The SAC Player of the Year led the Bulldogs to the SAC regular season and tournament titles in 2018, while leading the SAC and region in assists. Alles ranks 15th nationally with 11.58 assists per set. The junior has also collected 3.41 digs per set on the year, ranking second on the team in digs and blocks while registering 21 double-doubles.
Leading the way as a first team All-Region outside hitter is Lander's Kaitlyn Krafka. The freshman leads the Peach Belt with 4.24 kills per set, piling up 428 kills in her first season with the Bearcats while hitting .234. She also has 3.34 digs per set on the year, piling up 15 double-doubles.
Barton's Kaytlin Elkins is a first team All-Region selection. The sophomore earned firs team All-Conference Carolinas honors, leading the league with 4.81 kills per set while adding 2.86 digs per set. She ranks third in the nation in kills per set while piling up over 100 more kills than any other player in the conference. Elkins had double-digit kills in 28 of 30 matches, registering 12 double-doubles.
Rounding out the first team All-Region outside hitters is Queens sophomore Casey Tarvin. The first team All-SAC selection is second in the conference with 3.70 kills per set, collecting a league-best 392 kills while adding 4.34 digs per set on the year. Tarvin notched 17 double-doubles on the season, going over 30 digs on two occasions while topping the 20-kill mark four times.
Leading the first team All-Region middle blockers is USC Aiken junior Christine Carroll. The co-PBC Player of the Year is second in the conference with 3.97 kills per set while hitting a league-high .335. Carroll led the Pacers to the regular season title and the number two seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional. She has registered double-digit kills in 22 of her 25 matches this season.
Joining Carroll as a first team All-Region middle blocker is Georgia College senior Taylor Svehla. The co-PBC Player of the Year ranks fourth in the conference with 3.45 kills per set and fourth with a .307 hitting percentage. She is also second in the PBC with 1.06 blocks per set. Svehla has 21 double-digit kill performances, leading the Bobcats to an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
USC Aiken junior libero Rebecca Martinez is a first team All-Region honoree. The PBC Libero of the Year leads the nation with 8.30 digs per set, while helping the Pacers also lead the nation in digs per set and rank 11th nationally in opponents' hitting percentage. Martinez averages over half a dig more than any other player in the country. She has had at least 20 digs in a match on 21 occasions, including two matches with at least 40 digs.
The second team All-Region outside hitters are led by Lenoir-Rhyne's Angelica Arroyo. The senior earned first team All-SAC honors, ranking third in the conference with 3.57 kills per set while adding 2.57 digs per set. Wingate senior Hannah Givens earns second team All-Region honors. The second team All-SAC selection is sixth in the conference with 3.00 kills per set, while her .213 hitting percentage is tops among SAC outside hitters. Flagler's Karlie Redfern rounds out the All-Region outside hitters. The sophomore earned first team All-PBC honors, ranking third in the conference with 3.65 kills per set to go along with 2.84 digs per set.
Wingate senior Phoebe Havenaar leads the second team All-Region middle blockers. The first team All-SAC selection was named the SAC Tournament MVP, leading the SAC with a .342 hitting percentage while ranking fourth with 3.27 kills per set. Emmanuel's Julie de Blanck rounds out the All-Region middle hitters. The senior was named the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, leading the Lions to the league title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament. She is hitting a league-best .347 on the year, ranking third in the conference with 3.52 kills per set while collecting a conference-best 0.99 blocks per set.
Carson-Newman junior Morgan Ballard is the second team All-Region libero. A first team All-SAC selection, Ballard ranks second in the nation with 7.61 digs per set, trailing only Martinez from USC Aiken. Ballard has had at least 40 digs on three occasions, including a 51-digs effort against Lenoir-Rhyne.
Anderson is scheduled to meet fifth-seeded Lander, Thursday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Southeast Region Tournament. First-serve versus the Bearcats at Wingate's Cuddy Arena is scheduled for 5 p.m.
First Team
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
OH Kaitlyn Krafka Lander Fr. Kyle, Texas
OH Kaytlin Elkins Barton So. Hope Mills, N.C.
OH Casey Tarvin Queens So. Leander, Texas
MH Christine Carroll USC Aiken Jr. Cincinnati, Ohio
MH Taylor Svehla Georgia College Sr. Cumming, Ga.
L Rebecca Martinez USC Aiken Jr. Wellington, Fla.
S Rachel Alles Wingate Jr. Tinley Park, Ill.
Second Team
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
OH Angelica Arroyo Lenoir-Rhyne Sr. San Juan, Puerto Rico
OH Hannah Givens Wingate Sr. Greensburg, Ky.
OH Karlie Redfern Flagler So. Harrisburg, N.C.
MH Phoebe Havenaar Wingate Sr. Naperville, Ill.
MH Julie de Blanck Emmanuel Sr. Copenhagen, Denmark
L Morgan Ballard Carson-Newman Jr. Goldvein, Va.
S Emily Conlin Anderson Jr. Glendale, Ariz.
Region Player of the Year: Rachel Alles, Wingate