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 WILMINGTON, N.C. - Seven student-athletes from four institutions make
up the 2008 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association
(NCCSIA) University Division All-State Volleyball Team, released Friday. UNC Greensboro's Kaitlyn Nortz is pictured at left.
The team consists of NCAA Division I student-athletes from North
Carolina colleges and universities. Nominees were submitted by North
Carolina sports information professionals. NCCSIA members voted for
the all-state teams. The All-State volleyball team includes one setter,
two outside hitters, two middle hitters/blockers, one right side hitter
and one defensive specialist.
Highlighting the 2008 edition of the all-state squad is UNC Greensboro
middle blocker Kaitlyn Nortz(pictured left), who makes the team for the third
consecutive season while 2007 all-state selections UNCG outside hitter
Branagan Fuller, UNC Wilmington right side hitter Megan Nash and High
Point setter Kristina Taylor return for their second appearance on the
squad. Fuller and Nortz are one of three sets of teammates to make the
squad as Taylor is joined by Panthers middle blocker Lindsey Raus while
UNC Asheville teammates outside hitter Kelsey Benorden and defensive
specialist Raquel Miotto round out the list.
NCCSIA selects all-state teams in the university (NCAA Division I) and
college (Division II, III, NAIA) divisions for women’s volleyball,
men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer,
softball and baseball. More than 650 student-athletes have been recognized on
all-state teams since 2003.
NCCSIA’s all-state soccer teams were released earlier in the
week. The organization will release its fifth annual all-state men’s and
women’s basketball squads in March.
2008 NCCSIA All-State Volleyball
Team, University Division
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Position
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Name
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Class
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School
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Hometown
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Setter
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Kristina Taylor#
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Senior
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High Point
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Chandler, Ariz.
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Middle Blocker
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Lindsey Raus
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Senior
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High Point
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Wooster, Ohio
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Middle Blocker
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Kaitlyn Nortz*
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Junior
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UNC Greensboro
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Parma, Ohio
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Outside Hitter
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Branagan Fuller#
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Junior
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UNC Greensboro
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Murrieta, Calif.
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Outside Hitter
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Kelsey Benorden
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Sophomore
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UNC Asheville
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Knoxville, Tenn.
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Right Side Hitter
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Megan Nash#
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Senior
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UNCW
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Lakewood, Colo.
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Defensive Specialist
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Raquel Miotto
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Junior
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UNC Asheville
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Aruja, Brazil
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* - 2006, 2007 NCCSIA All-State selection
# - 2007 NCCSIA All-State selection
Full profiles of all-state members are listed below
Kelsey Benorden | Outside Hitter | UNC Asheville | Sophomore
Team Record: 18-14
Matches Played/Started: 32/32
Kills Avg.: 3.50
Digs Avg.: 2.86
Blocks Avg.: 0.53
Hitting Percentage: .198
Assists Avg.: 0.16
Service Ace Avg.: 0.25
1st-Team All-Big South Selection…Big South
All-Tournament Team…led the Big South in double-doubles with 18 in 32
matches…led the Bulldogs and was fourth in the Big South in kills with
458 (3.50 per set) in two years has collected 958 career kills…she will
become the 12 Asheville player to reach the 1,000 kills mark early next
season…She had three 20-kill matches this season with a season-high 25
against Winthrop on Oct. 4…Also strong defensively, Benorden was second
on the team in digs and blocks. She had 375 digs (2.86 per set) this season
giving her 785 career digs. Only nine players in Asheville
history have ever had 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in their careers…She was
also second on the team in blocks this season…Benorden accounted for a
team-high 532.5 points … Knoxville,
Tenn.
Branagan Fuller | Outside Hitter | UNC Greensboro | Junior
Team Record: 23-10
Matches Played/Started: 33/32
Kills Avg.: 3.14
Digs Avg.: 2.73
Blocks Avg.: 0.33
Hitting Percentage: .181
Assists Avg.: 0.13
Service Ace Avg.: 0.17
Played in all 33 matches this season for the Spartans and started
a team-leading 32 matches … Averaged 3.14 kills per set, which was good
enough for fifth in the SoCon … First-Team All-SoCon selection … Second
on the team in digs with 344 and had 22 aces this season … Murrieta, Calif.
Raquel Miotto | Defensive Specialist | UNC Asheville | Junior
Team Record: 18-14
Matches Played/Started: 32/32
Kills Avg.: .15
Digs Avg.: 5.09
Blocks Avg.: 0.00
Hitting Percentage: .122
Assists Avg.: 0.76
Service Ace Avg.: 0.20
The top libero in the Big South Conference this season,
Raquel Miotto earned First-Team All-Big South honors by recording a team and
conference best 667 digs (5.09 per set) this season … Mark was the fourth
highest single-season mark in Asheville history … Miotto was the only
player in the Big South to record 40 or more digs in a match this season. She
did it twice with a season-high 47 digs against Charleston Southern on Oct. 17, the third
highest total in the NCAA this season… Had 20 matches of 20 or more digs
and was in double-figure digs in 31 of 32 matches this season … Miotto is
currently second on both the school and conference all-time digs list with
1,970 career digs … She will begin her senior season just 210 digs shy of
breaking the all-time mark … Aruja, Brazil
Megan Nash | Right Side | UNC Wilmington | Senior
Team Record: 6-23
Matches Played/Started: 28/25
Kills Avg.: 1.89
Digs Avg.: 0.63
Blocks Avg.: 0.60
Hitting Percentage: .152
Assists Avg.: 0.25
Service Ace Avg.: 0.14
Participated in 28 matches with 25 starts during senior
season … Finished third on team in kills (164), hitting percentage (.152)
and total blocks (52) … Tied for team lead with nine solo blocks …
Established new career high with eight total blocks against Campbell …
Recorded eight or more kills on nine occasions with four double-figure kill
performances … Finished her career just outside the program’s top10
in both kills (783) and total blocks (214) … Lakewood, Colo.
Kaitlyn Nortz | Middle Blocker | UNC Greensboro | Senior
Team Record: 23-10
Matches Played/Started: 32/32
Kills Avg.: 2.35
Digs Avg.: 0.60
Blocks Avg.: 1.12
Hitting Percentage: .285
Assists Avg.: 0.07
Service Ace Avg.: 0.10
Became the first player in school history to make the SoCon
All-Conference team twice in her career after earning second-team
all-conference honors following her senior season … Broke school record
for career blocks and ended her career with 560 total blocks … Broke
school record for the most block assists in a four-game match with 10 against
UT-Chattanooga … Tied school record for total blocks in a three-game
match with 11 against Samford on Senior Day .. Finished third in the Southern
Conference with 1.12 blocks per set … Parma, Ohio.
Lindsay Raus | Middle Blocker | High Point | Senior
Team Record: 26-7
Matches Played/Started: 30/30
Kills Avg.: 2.67
Digs Avg.: 0.55
Blocks Avg.: 0.82
Hitting Percentage: .324
Assists Avg.: 0.05
Service Ace Avg.: 0.16
Led team in blocks per set and was sixth in the conference
with 0.82 … Ranked second in the Big South and 107th in the NCAA in
hitting percentage, (.324) … Fourth on team in kills per set (2.52) …
Tournament MVP at the Buffalo Invitational after leading the team to the
tournament title … Big South Player of the Week Sept. 22 … Wooster,
Ohio.
Kristina Taylor | Setter | High Point | Senior
Team Record: 26-7
Matches Played/Started: 31/31
Kills Avg.: 0.53
Digs Avg.: 2.38
Blocks Avg.: 0.42
Hitting Percentage: .195
Assists Avg.: 10.46
Service Ace Avg.: 0.24
First Team All-Big South selection … Led league in
assists per set (10.46) … Guided Panthers to program-best .212 hitting
percentage … HPU's all-time career assist leader (3,982) … On-court
leader for Panthers as they finished with their best Division I record at 26-7
and earned a share of the Big South regular season title with 13-3 conference
record … Named to the All-Tournament teams at the HPU Classic, ECU
Classic and University of Buffalo Invitational … Chandler, Ariz.
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