Amber Calhoun Named Southland Volleyball Player of the Year

11/16/2011 6:15:00 PM

FRISCO, Texas - Texas State senior Amber Calhoun was named the 2011 Southland Conference Volleyball Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced Wednesday in conjunction with the release of the all-conference volleyball teams.

Calhoun, a native of Houston, Texas, claimed her first player of the year honors after being named all-conference for the third consecutive year. Calhoun set career highs in kills (287), digs (140) and solo blocks (25) and with 109 total blocks, she is only eight shy of setting another career mark. The Texas State middle blocker ranks third in the conference in hitting percentage (.356) and fourth in blocks (1.8). Her .324 career hitting percentage is the second highest in program history, and she ranks third in block assists and total blocks in the Bobcats' record book. Calhoun is the third Texas State player to earn this award, joining Shenequa Bedford (2000) and Stephanie Winn (1991).

UTSA claimed two individual postseason awards with sophomore McKenzie Adams earning newcomer of the year honors and sophomore Kelsey Schwirtlich being named setter of the year. Both players also were named first-team all-conference.

In her first season in the Southland, Adams led the conference with 1.27 blocks per set. The middle hitter from Schertz, Texas, ranks third on the team with 2.82 kills per set and a .281 hitting percentage. Adams, who transferred from Virginia after being named the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, has posted double figure kills 11 times during the year, including a season-high 17 kills against Santa Clara on Sept. 17.

Schwirtlich, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, earned all-conference honors for the second consecutive year after being named setter of the year. Schwirtlich became the first Roadrunner to win this award after leading the conference and ranking 44th nationally in assists per set (10.86). Schwirtlich, who has registered five double-doubles this year, is UTSA's all-time leader in assists (2,408) during the 25-point rally-scoring era (2008-present). Schwirtlich also earned first-team Capital One Academic All-District VII honors by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

After being named all-conference for the second time in her career, UT Arlington junior Alicia Shaffer was named the libero of the year. The Magnolia, Texas, native ranks 14th in the nation with 5.69 digs per set. She leads the conference in overall digs and digs in conference play, averaging 6.03 per set against Southland opponents. This season, Shaffer set the UTA career digs record and is currently four digs shy of reaching the 2,000-dig plateau.

Northwestern State outside hitter Stacey DiFrancesco became the first Lady Demon to be named freshman of the year. DiFrancesco, who hails from The Woodlands, Texas, recorded a conference-leading 14 double-doubles in 16 Southland matches this season. She tallied 19 double-doubles total on the year, and had a stretch of nine consecutive matches with a double-double. In conference play, DiFrancesco ranked second in kills per set (4.16).

Completing the individual awards is Texas State head coach Karen Chisum, who earned coach of the year honors. Chisum, who is in her 32nd year of coaching, all at Texas State, earns her fourth coach of the year honors and her first since 2003. After being swept in their conference opener, Chisum coached 15 consecutive conference wins to claim the regular-season championship. Her 740 career wins are the sixth most among active Division I head coaches, and she is only one of nine coaches with 700 or more career wins. Texas State posted a 24-7 overall record and a 15-1 mark in conference play. Chisum has now led the Bobcats to 20-or-more wins for the 20th time in her career.

Six teams are represented on the all-conference first team. UTSA led all teams with four, followed by Texas State with three. Sam Houston State and UT Arlington each had two representatives while McNeese State had one.

Joining Adams and Schwirtlich on the first team for UTSA are junior Whitney Walls and senior Kelsey Jewasko. The four Roadrunners on the first team are the most representatives since 1989 when UT Arlington had four first-team honorees.

Walls, an Arlington, Texas, native, earned first-team accolades after leading the Roadrunners and ranking ninth in the conference with 2.94 kills per set. Walls registered a .325 hitting percentage this season and assisted on the defensive end with 73 total blocks. Walls hit .400 or better in 12 matches, including a conference-high .714 clip in a three-set victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Oct. 13.

Jewasko was named to the first team for the third time in her career. The two-time libero of the year ranks second in the conference and 31st in the nation with 5.29 digs per frame. The San Antonio, Texas, native, who ranks second all-time at UTSA with 2,234 digs, collected 20 or more saves in 12 matches this year. In addition to her performance on the court, Jewasko was honored as one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and earned Capital One Academic All-District VII first-team honors from CoSIDA.

Sophomore Amari Deardorff and junior Caleigh McCorquodale join Calhoun as the Bobcats' first-team all-conference members.

Deardorff, a right-side hitter from Austin, Texas, ranks first in the conference and 31st in the nation this season in hitting percentage (.362), which is also the fourth highest hitting percentage in Texas State history for a single season. Deardorff leads Texas State in kills (303) and has been named the conference player of the week for her offensive performances twice this season.

McCorquodale, a Cypress, Texas, native, leads the Bobcats with 15 double-doubles this year and has recorded six consecutive double-double matches heading into the postseason. The Texas State setter paces the team in assists (1,067) and is second in digs (312).

After finishing the season with the conference's third-best record, Sam Houston placed two players on the first team. Senior Carli Kolbe was honored for the third time in her career and senior Kim Black earned all-conference accolades for the second time after receiving honorable mention a year ago. Kolbe is the first player in Sam Houston history to be honored three years in a row.

Kolbe, an outside hitter from College Station, Texas, led the conference in kills per set (4.07) and ranked fourth in double-doubles (15). Kolbe has produced 21 double figure kill performances this fall including her last 11 matches. While an offensive threat, Kolbe also led the Bearkats' defensive effort with 3.21 digs per set, the best on the team, and notched 43 total blocks on the year. Koble is one of seven players in program history to break the 1,000 mark in career kills and digs. She ranks fifth in program history with 1535 career kills.

Black, a native of Huntsville, Texas, led the Bearkats and ranked fifth in the conference in blocks per set (1.07). In conference action, the Sam Houston middle blocker had the tenth best hitting percentage (.280). Black led the team in blocks (121) and was second in kills (249). Black ranks second all-time in Bearkat history with 351 total blocks.

McNeese State middle blocker Nicole Bowden is the lone representative on the first team from the East Division. The sophomore from Houston, Texas, led the Cowgirls in kills per set (3.37) and hitting percentage (.304), ranking fourth and fifth in the conference, respectively.

Rounding out the first-team is UT Arlington senior Tara Frantz. Frantz, a Santa Fe, Texas, native, was also a first-team performer in 2009. Frantz led the Mavericks with 3.48 kills per set while maintaining a .221 attack percentage.

Second-team all-conference members include Central Arkansas sophomore Marissa Collins, DiFrancesco, Stephen F. Austin junior Madison Hanlan, UTSA junior Brittney Malloy, Lamar sophomore Sierra Whittaker and Texas State sophomore Melissa Toth. This is the second career all-conference honor for Collins.

The 2011 All-Southland Conference Volleyball teams are comprised of 12 first-team and six second-team members. Teams are chosen by vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Recipients are placed by the number of votes received.

The 2011 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament gets underway Friday in Conway, Ark., with four first-round matches. The semifinals will be held Saturday with the championship match being played Sunday at 2 p.m., CST. All seven matches of the tournament will be streamed live and for free on SLC NOW at southland.org. The championship match will be televised by the Southland Conference Television Network to more than 20 markets in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, plus worldwide on ESPN3.com. Visit southland.org/television for a list of affiliates.

2011 All-Southland Conference Volleyball Teams

First Team
Name	School	Pos.	Cl.	Hometown/Prev. School
Amber Calhoun³	Texas State	MB	Sr.	Houston, Texas/Second Baptist
McKenzie Adams	UTSA	MB	So.	Schertz, Texas/Virginia
Amari Deardorff²	Texas State	RS	So.	Austin, Texas/Westwood
Carli Kolbe³	Sam Houston State	OH	Sr.	College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated
Whitney Walls	UTSA	RS	Jr.	Arlington, Texas/Martin
Nicole Bowden	McNeese State	MB	Sr.	Houston, Texas/Oak Ridge
Kelsey Schwirtlich²	UTSA	S	So.	Corpus Christi, Texas/Calallen
Alicia Shaffer²	UT Arlington	L	Jr.	Magnolia, Texas/Magnolia
Kim Black	Sam Houston State	MB	Sr.	Huntsville, Texas/Huntsville
Caleigh McCorquodale	Texas State	S	Jr.	Cypress, Texas/Cypress Woods
Tara Frantz²	UT Arlington	OH	Sr.	Santa Fe, Texas/Santa Fe
Kelsey Jewasko³	UTSA	L	Sr.	San Antonio, Texas/East Central

Second Team
Name	School	Pos.	Cl.	Hometown/Prev. School
Marissa Collins²	Central Arkansas	S	So.	Pearland, Texas/Pearland
Stacey DiFrancesco	Northwestern State	OH	Fr.	The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands
Madison Hanlan	Stephen F. Austin	L	Jr.	Arlington, Texas/Martin
Brittney Malloy	UTSA	MB	Jr.	San Antonio, Texas/Warren
Sierra Whittaker	Lamar	OH	So.	Houston, Texas/New Mexico State
Melissa Toth	Texas State	OH	So.	Phoenix, Ariz./UTEP

²Two-time all-conference

³Three-time all-conference

Honorable Mention: Cristin Curl, L, Central Arkansas; Taylor Hammonds, RS, Central Arkansas; Alex Morford, S, Lamar; Amanda Aguilera, OH, UT Arlington; Kym Loving, S, Sam Houston State; Sabrina Burns, MB, Stephen F. Austin; Brooke Alverson, MB, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Paige Dollison, MB, Southeastern Louisiana.

Individual Award Winners

Player of the Year - Amber Calhoun, Texas State

Libero of the Year - Alicia Shaffer, UT Arlington

Freshman of the Year - Stacey DiFrancesco, Northwestern State

Setter of the Year - Kelsey Schwirtlich, UTSA

Newcomer of the Year - McKenzie Adams, UTSA

Coach of the Year - Karen Chisum, Texas State