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.