USA South Volleyball Awards Announced

(FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.) - The USA South Athletic Conference has announced its 2011 All-Conference awards for volleyball. A total of 34 student-athletes have been named to the All-Conference teams. Christopher Newport University swept all the individual awards as Jessie Heavenrich was named the Player of the Year, Jessie Kolden earned Rookie of the Year honors, Abby Hogge was named Libero of the Year and their coach Lindsay Birch collected Coach of the Year accolades. Also, the USA South recognized an All-Sportsmanship Team consisting of one member from each competing school. All awards are voted on by the volleyball coach at each institution.

Heavenrich, a senior setter from Cambria, California earns her second consecutive Player of the Year honor. She was second in the Conference averaging 9.42 assists per set while leading all setters with 0.54 blocks per set during the regular season. Heavenrich also contributed 2.51 digs per set and totaled 46 kills and 30 service aces this season while leading the Captains to a league-best .266 hitting percentage. She collected her fourth all-conference honor as she was named to the first team this fall. Finally, Heavenrich was named USA South Player of the Week one this season.

Kolden, an Alexandria, Virginia freshman right side hitter, played an integral role in the Captains' success this season. She ranked in the top-20 of the Conference with a .221 hitting percentage and a 2.26 kills per set average during the regular season. In matches versus USA South competition her .368 hitting percentage ranked fourth while her 2.78 kills per set average was good for eighth in the league. For her efforts this fall, Kolden received Third Team All-Conference honors and was named USA South Rookie of the Week four times this season.

Hogge, a Clifton, Virginia junior earns her second consecutive Libero of the Year honor. She was the Captains' defensive specialist this season and averaged 4.56 digs per set which ranked fourth in the league during the regular season. Additionally, Hogge compiled 515 total digs this fall which was good for third-best in the USA South. She earned Second Team All-Conference Honors for her efforts this fall and was named USA South Defensive Player of the Week four times this season.

This season marks the sixth Coach of the Year honor for Birch. The Captains once again were undefeated in USA South play, compiling a perfect 18-0 record for the fourth consecutive season. CNU has now won 98 consecutive regular season league matches. Overall, the Captains compiled a 30-4 regular season record and own a number-seven national ranking. Birch now leads the Captains into the Conference tournament as the top seeded team.

Player of the Year	Rookie of the Year	Libero of the Year	Coach of the Year
Jessie Heavenrich Christopher Newport	Jessie Kolden Christopher Newport	Abby Hogge Christopher Newport	Lindsay Birch Christopher Newport

The 2011 USA South Volleyball All-Conference Team: