Wednesday, November 25, 2009 10:02 PM CST
Sullivan's Sanders is named to All-Atlantic Sun freshman team
By MIKE MONAHAN, Staff Writer
mmonahan@jg-tc.com
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Emily Sanders, a 2009 graduate of Sullivan High School, has found success in volleyball at the Division I level. Sanders was named to the All-Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team for South Carolina Upstate, a team that finished 8-22 overall and 3-16 in the conference.
“I am so happy for Mindy (Quimby, who was also named to the team) and Emily (Sanders),” said South Carolina Upstate coach Jennifer Calloway. “I love that they have been selected by the A-Sun coaches. To see that the other coaches recognize their sincere attitude and die-hard efforts on the court each time they played says something pretty special about them. These coaches see our team only two times a year and its so refreshing to know that they could see these two work on a day-to-day basis.”
Sanders and Quimby are the first two volleyball players in school history to earn postseason honors. A total of eight players were picked to the all-freshman team by the league’s coaches and sports information directors.
“The award means a lot to me,” said Sanders. “It makes me feel like all my hard work this season has paid off. No one has received this award so I am excited that my roommate (Mindy Quimby) and I are the first ones.”
Sanders, a 5-6 setter, was one of five freshmen to play more than 100 sets in the A-Sun and she led all conference freshmen with nine double-doubles, including posting six in conference play. She was the only freshman to have more than 500 assists on the year, finishing with 501 with an average of 4.8 per set. She tied for second among conference freshmen in aces (21) and third in digs (222). She was second on the team in assists (4.7 per set) and fourth in digs (2.1). She led the conference freshmen in assists (352) was third in digs (14* and finished with 23 double-digit assist sets.
Sanders said she found out about the award when Calloway set up a meeting with her.
“She acted like I was in trouble, but she was joking and told me I was named to the all-freshman team,” said Sanders.
South Carolina Upstate finished the season with a 25-19, 25-15, 25-22 win over Stetson which marked the first time in history that Upstate swept a home-and-home series since joining the A-Sun in 2007.
“My freshman season went well,” said Sanders. “We didn’t win as much as I wanted to. Our team is young with all three freshmen being starters. I only see the seasons getting better from here.”
The victory also gave Callaway, the daughter of Fred Rakers, who has coached Breese Mater Dei for 33 years, finishing second this year after beating Mattoon in the sectional championship in Class 3A, her 100th conference victory. She won 89 matches in the Peach Belt Conference before South Carolina Upstate joined the Atlantic Sun Conference.
At Sullivan Sanders, coached by Heather Lindenmeyer (junior and senior years) and Lindsay Blicknestaff (freshman and sophomore years) finished with 2,186 assists, 19th all-time in the state in 321 sets for an average of 6.8 per set. She had 312 aces, third all-time and her senior year led the team in kills (1.4) and had 3.7 digs per set as well. Her sophomore and junior years Sullivan won back-to-back regional titles and had 20-win seasons. The 28 wins her sophomore year is a school record.
“High school and college volleyball are so different,” said Sanders. “In college we have strength and conditioning coaches and everything is so much more competitive. We are on a strict schedule with weights and meals and game schedules and we also fly to our games or take charters which is a lot of fun.”
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854.
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