WILMINGTON, North Carolina
- UNCW junior right
side hitter Christi Laite was recognized as a Second-Team All-CAA performer on
Thursday as the Colonial Athletic Association announced its annual awards on
the eve of the 2012 CAA Volleyball Championship.
Laite earns All-CAA accolades for the second consecutive
season as she becomes just the fifth player in program history to earn
All-Conference recognition on multiple occasions during their UNCW career.
"This is a great achievement for Christi to be recognized
for the second year in a row," said UNCW Head Coach Amy Bambenek. "She has
developed into a tremendous leader on the court, and is also a stellar student
in the classroom. She is someone that
works hard to improve her game, and helps push our team on a daily basis to
reach a higher level of play."
Laite started all 28 matches for the Seahawks in 2012 and
led the team in both total kills (287) and kills per set (2.81). The Severna
Park, Md., product also tallied 18 service aces, one solo block and 64 block
assists to rank 10th in the CAA in points per set (3.31). Defensively, Laite
averaged 1.33 digs per set as she finished the season with two double-doubles.
In other awards handed out Thursday, Northeastern junior Kelly
Bacon was named CAA Player-of-the-Year while Towson's Aubrey
Kirven (setter), Delaware's Ariel Shonk (defensive specialist) and William and
Mary's Dessi Koleva (rookie) took home the league's other major player awards. Towson's
Bruce Atkinson was recognized as the league's Coach-of-the-Year.
2012 ALL-CAA VOLLEYBALL TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
|
Player,
School
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Hometown/Previous
School
|
|
Alissa Alker, Delaware
|
Sr.
|
OH
|
San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch
|
|
Kelly Bacon, Northeastern
|
Jr.
|
OH
|
Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley
|
|
Nicole Bishop, Northeastern
|
Sr.
|
MH
|
Park City, Utah/Park City
|
|
Katy Buck, Towson
|
Jr.
|
OH
|
Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales Academy
|
|
Aubrey Kirven, Towson
|
Sr.
|
S
|
Uniontown, Ohio/Lake/Loyola Univ.
|
|
Kelsie Wills, Hofstra
|
So.
|
OH
|
Matamata, New Zealand/Matamata College
|
SECOND TEAM
|
Player,
School
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Hometown/Previous
School
|
|
Catalina Charry, Hofstra
|
Sr.
|
S
|
Santiago de Cali, Colombia/Salt Lake CC
|
|
Danielle Erb, James Madison
|
Sr.
|
OH
|
Tampa, Fla./Plant
|
|
I'ishah Keliikoa, Towson
|
Jr.
|
RS/OP
|
Mililani, Hawaii/I'olani
|
|
Dessi Koleva, William & Mary
|
Fr.
|
OH
|
Torrance, Calif./South
|
|
Christi Laite, UNCW
|
Jr.
|
RS
|
Severna Park, Md./Severna Park
|
|
Chelsea Lawrence, Delaware
|
Sr.
|
MH
|
Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township
|
|
Lana Zonjic, George Mason
|
Jr.
|
OH
|
Zagreb, Croatia/II Gimnazjia Zagreb
|
THIRD TEAM
|
Player,
School
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Hometown/Previous
School
|
|
Natalie Abel, James Madison
|
Sr.
|
OH
|
Washington, Pa./Trinity
|
|
Jillian Briner, Northeastern
|
So.
|
S/OH
|
Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park & River
Forest
|
|
Marta Machos, Towson
|
Sr.
|
OP
|
Tomaszow, Lubelski, Poland/Midland
College
|
|
Shaylin O'Connell, William & Mary
|
Sr.
|
MH
|
Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County
|
|
Ariel Shonk, Delaware
|
Fr.
|
DS/L
|
Atlanta, Ga./Riverwood Int'l Charter
|
|
Natalia Skiba, Northeastern
|
So.
|
L/OH
|
Westmont, Ill./Hinsdale Central
|
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
|
Player,
School
|
Cl.
|
Pos.
|
Hometown/Previous
School
|
|
Dessi Koleva, William & Mary
|
Fr.
|
OH
|
Torrance, Calif./South
|
|
Meghan Niski, James Madison
|
Fr.
|
OH
|
St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East
|
|
Mackenzie Olsen, Delaware
|
Fr.
|
S
|
Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park
|
|
Lola Owokoniran, George Mason
|
Fr.
|
MB
|
Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield
|
|
Ariel Shonk, Delaware
|
Fr.
|
DS/L
|
Atlanta, Ga./Riverwood Int'l Charter
|
|
Eliza Zachary, Georgia State
|
Fr.
|
MB
|
Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson
|
2012 CAA Player of
the Year: Kelly Bacon, Northeastern
2012 CAA Setter of
the Year: Aubrey Kirven, Towson
2012 CAA Defensive
Specialist of the Year: Ariel Shonk,
Delaware
2012 CAA Rookie of
the Year: Dessi Koleva, William & Mary
2012 CAA Coach of
the Year: Bruce Atkinson, Towson
