ASHEVILLE, NC-- For the first time in Big South Conference history, the Winthrop Eagles volleyball team took home all three top honors of Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, and Freshman of the Year at the Big South Conference Volleyball Banquet.
Junior outside hitter Mary Hock was named Player of the Year by the Big South. Hock set conference and team records in kills (489) as she helped lead the Eagles to the Big South regular season title. Hock also had a 37-match streak with at least 10 kills in each match.
Freshman Shannon Sitzmann earned Freshman of the Year honors and named to the Big South's All-Freshman team, leading the league in blocks per game (1.17) and second in hitting percentage (.369). The Demars, Iowa native was named Big South Freshman of the Week three times this season and hit a school record .933 against Gardner-Webb on November 10.
Coach Joel McCartney earned Big South Coach of the Year honors after leading the Eagles to a 29-2 overall record and perfect 14-0 Big South record. McCartney is only the second coach in Big South volleyball history to lead a team to a perfect conference record. Under McCartney's leadership, the Eagles lead the Big South in hitting percentage (.294), assists (14.27), opponent hitting percentage (.139), and kills per game (16.09).
Sitzmann and Hock were named to the First Team All-Conference while teammates Emily Heckl and Taryn Surbaugh earned Second Team All-Conference honors. Senior libero Sarah Mae Billingsley was named to the Big South All-Academic team. Billingsley is a Mathematics major and has also been named to the CoSIDA First Team All-District Academic team. Hock was recognized for being named to the CoSIDA Second Team All-District Academic team.
The Eagles will play the first semifinal match of the Big South Conference Championship against Liberty at 2 p.m. at UNC Asheville's Justice Center. Birmingham Southern faces Coastal Carolina in the other semifinal match at 5 p.m.
