WINGATE, N.C. – On the eve of the 2017 NCAA Southeast Region Tournament, a trio of standout Anderson University volleyball players have earned D2CCA All-Region honors, as announced Tuesday morning.
Senior outside hitter Marissa Mitter and sophomore setter Emily Conlin garnered first-team accolades, while senior middle hitter Rachel Burts captured second-team honors.
Mitter, a native of Redondo Beach, Calif., was an Honorable Mention All-Region honoree following last season and is a two-time First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference honoree. She earned SAC Player of the Week honors four times this season, while leading the league in points and ranks second in kills per set and points per set. Mitter is one of only three players in the in the SAC to have at least 300 kills and 300 digs on the season and has posted 14 double-doubles this season while reaching double-figure kills on 23 occasions.
Conlin ranks sixth nationally in assists per set and was named First-Team All-Conference this year after earning SAC Freshman of the Year honors following last season. The Glendale, Ariz., native captured SAC Specialist of the Week twice this season, marking the fourth time in her two-year career. She leads the conference in assists per set, is second in total assists and third in service aces.
Conlin posted 17 double-doubles on the season, while reaching the 40+ assist plateau on 15 occasions. In less than two full seasons, she already ranks sixth in the school record books for assists in a single season and fifth in career assists.
Burts was named Second-Team All-Region for the second consecutive season after collecting First-Team All-SAC honors. The Anderson, S.C., native ranks 14th nationally in hitting percentage and is 10th in the conference with 83 total blocks on the season. Burts ranks among national leaders in both hitting percentage and blocks and posted at least five total blocks on six occasions, including a season-high seven in the regular-season finale. She reached double-digit kills in 14 matches and is second on the team with 253 kills on the season.
Flagler College senior middle hitter Sara Davis was named the 2017 D2CCA Southeast Region Player of the Year. A senior from Akron, Ohio, Davis was named the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year, leading the region's top-ranked team to the PBC regular season and tournament championship in 2017. The 2014 AVCA Southeast Region Freshman of the Year earns D2CCA first team All-Region honors for the third consecutive year.
Davis earned third team All-American accolades from the AVCA in 2016. The senior hits a league-best .406 on the season, ranking second in the conference with 3.41 kills per set while adding 91 blocks, 67 digs and 32 aces on the season.
Davis is one of two first team All-Region middle hitters, joining Wingate University junior Anna Holmquist, who leads the South Atlantic Conference and Southeast Region with a .413 hitting percentage to go along with 2.87 kills and 1.01 blocks per set.
At the outside hitter position, Wingate senior outside hitter Katie Bludau, the SAC Player of the Year, is the only player in the country averaging at least 4.2 kills per set with a hitting percentage over .300. Flagler senior Taja Valmyr rounds out the first team outside hitters. She leads the Saints and the Peach Belt with 3.64 kills per set, adding 2.88 digs per set. The first team All-PBC selection earns All-Region honors for the first time in her career.
USC Aiken's Rebecca Martinez is the first-team All-Region libero. The sophomore earned first team All-PBC honors while also being named the league's Libero of the Year, piling up a league-best 6.95 digs per set.
Georgia College's Taylor Svehla earned first team All-PBC honors as a junior, compiling 2.60 kills per set while ranking seventh in the conference with a .253 hitting percentage.
The second team All-Region outside hitters are Southern Wesleyan's Paige O'Connor, Barton's Kaytlin Elkins and USC Aiken's Alie Smith. The Conference Carolinas 2017 Player of the Year in her senior season, O'Connor is second in the league with 3.88 kills per set, hitting .245 to go along with 1.53 digs per set. Elkins was named the Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year while also earning first team all-conference accolades, leading Barton to the regular season and tournament championships. She leads the league and the region with 4.41 kills per set, adding 2.10 digs per set while also ranking in the top 10 in the conference in aces. Smith earned second team All-PBC honors in her freshman season, leading the Pacers and ranking third in the conference with 3.34 kills per set, adding 3.34 digs per set.
Sydney Kunz of Queens in the second team All-Region setter. The senior earned first team All-SAC accolades in 2017 while also being named the SAC Tournament MVP. She is second in the conference with 11.16 assists per set, adding 2.86 digs per set for the Royals.
Carson-Newman's Morgan Ballard is the second team All-Region libero. The sophomore earned first team All-SAC accolades in 2017, leading the conference with 6.99 digs per set.
Voting for the D2CCA All-Region teams was conducted by the region's sports information directors.
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.
2017 D2CCA All-Southeast Region Volleyball Teams
First Team
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
OH Katie Bludau Wingate Sr. Seabrook, Texas
OH Marissa Mitter Anderson Sr. Redondo Beach, Calif.
OH Taja Valmyr Flagler Sr. Green Cove Springs, Fla.
MH Sara Davis %# Flagler Sr. Akron, Ohio
MH Anna Holmquist Wingate Jr. Lincoln, Nebr.
Lib Rebecca Martinez USC Aiken So. Wellington, Fla.
S Emily Conlin Anderson So. Glendale, Ariz.
Second Team
Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown
OH Paige O'Connor Southern Wesleyan Sr. Ada, Mich.
OH Kaytlin Elkins Barton Fr. Hope Mills, N.C.
OH Alie Smith USC Aiken Fr. St. Johns, Fla.
MH Rachel Burts # Anderson Sr. Anderson, S.C.
MH Taylor Svehla Georgia College Jr. Cumming, Ga.
Lib Morgan Ballard Carson-Newman So. Weaverville, N.C.
S Sydney Kunz Queens Sr. Germantown, Wisc.
Southeast Region Player of the Year: Sara Davis, Flagler
# - 2016 D2CCA All-Southeast Region
% - 2015 D2CCA All-Southeast Region
