E&H Rookie Fertitta, VWC's Leedom Take Home Awards
SALEM, Va. --- Washington and
Lee University junior, Rachael Phillips, earned the 2008 ODAC
Player of the Year award as she led her team to this year's league
title. Virginia Wesleyan
College head coach, Andrea Hoover, was selected as the ODAC Coach
of the Year and was joined by Marlin sophomore Rebecca Leedom as
the ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete. Rachel Fertitta spearheaded
the Emory & Henry College attack in her first season to garner
ODAC Rookie of the Year honors, and Randolph College was given the
Team Sportsmanship Award.
Phillips, an outside hitter, is one of two Generals on the All-ODAC
First Team. Phillips helped lead Washington and Lee to its
ODAC-record 12th conference title, the eighth straight for the blue
and white from Lexington. Phillips finished third in the league
with 3.29 kills per game and 365 total kills. She also collected
367 digs, second for W&L, as well as 48 blocks and 14 aces.
Washington and Lee continues its season in the NCAA Division III
Volleyball Tournament following a 10-0 showing in ODAC play, its
seventh season in the last eight with an undefeated league
mark.
Hoover just completed her third season guiding the Virginia
Wesleyan volleyball team. The third coach since the program began
in 2003, Hoover took the Marlins to the ODAC semifinals for the
second time in her tenure, leading the program to its first ever
20-plus win season. The Marlins finished the year with a 7-3 league
record, good for the third seed in the tournament, and posted a
23-11 overall mark.
Leedom is a standout both on the court and in the classroom as the
former ODAC Rookie of the Year earned All-ODAC First Team accolades
this season. Leedom boasts a 4.0 grade point average as a
recreation and leisure studies major. She has twice earned a spot
on the VWC Dean's List and was named to the ODAC All-Academic Team
last season. In uniform, Leedom led the ODAC with 402 total kills,
good enough for a 3.24 per game average. She also recorded 446 digs
and 45 blocks. She registered the highest single-game kill total
this season, collecting 24 winners against Bridgewater College.
Fertitta adjusted quickly to the college game, leading the Wasps to
the sixth seed in the ODAC Tournament. A middle hitter, Fertitta
led the conference in hitting percentage (.347), kills per game
(3.79) and blocks per game (1.10). She hammered out double-digit
kills in 23-of-27 matches with a season-high 23 to open the season
against Milligan.
Listed below are the 2008 ODAC Volleyball All-Conference Teams. For
more information on ODAC Volleyball, visit any of the member
schools' websites or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at
www.odaconline.com.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Rachael Phillips, Washington and Lee
COACH OF THE YEAR
Andrea Hoover, Virginia Wesleyan
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Rachel Fertitta, Emory & Henry
ODAC/FARM BUREAU SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
Rebecca Leedom, Virginia Wesleyan
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP
Randolph College
ALL-ODAC FIRST TEAM
Erika Dirnagl, Bridgewater
Rachel Fertitta, Emory & Henry
Rebecca Leedom, Virginia Wesleyan
Rachael Phillips, Washington and Lee
Kendra Smith, Randolph-Macon
Savannah Tinsley, Lynchburg (Libero)
Jessica Ulrich, Washington and Lee
ALL-ODAC SECOND TEAM
April Hines, Randolph-Macon
Elena Kritter, Lynchburg
Jill Kubichan, Randolph-Macon (Libero)
Kelsey Largen, Roanoke
Debbie Sterne, Virginia Wesleyan
Maggie Wagner, Roanoke
Marissa Wood, Virginia Wesleyan
ALL-ODAC HONORABLE MENTION
Monika Burkholder, Eastern Mennonite
Tricia Davis, Bridgewater
Cassidy Jones, Sweet Briar
Caitlyn Long, Roanoke (Libero)
Anna Miller, Guilford
Kristen Spinner, Randolph
Megan Steinhardt, Washington and Lee