MEMPHIS,
Tenn. - Southwestern University, winners of 20
straight matches and the top seed for this weekend's Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament, was rewarded
for its highly successful season with a sweep of the league's four
major postseason awards in exclusive all-conference voting by the
head coaches of the SCAC.
Audra Gentry was named the SCAC Player-of-the-Year and teammates
Lindsay Thompson and Samantha Lingamfelter were named the league's
Freshman and Backrow Player-of-the-Year respectively. Southwestern
head coach Hannah Long was tabbed as the SCAC
Coach-of-the-Year.
Gentry, a junior outside hitter from Albuquerque, N.M., has been
the 13th-ranked Pirates' go-to player all season. She finished the
regular season second in the conference in both kills (371) and
kills per set (3.50). Her 392 digs were good for second on the
team. Gentry, the team's captain, also posted 38 service aces and
33 blocks in leading Southwestern to a league-best 14-1 conference
mark; 32-3 overall. She is the third player from Southwestern, and
first since 2005, to earn SCAC Player-of-the-Year honors.
Six different players received votes for Player-of-the-Year, led by
Gentry who was atop four of the coaches' ballots. Anna Clithero of
Colorado College and Megan Guest of Trinity University received two
votes each while Adrienne Cobb of DePauw University, Megan Dudley
of Trinity and Lindsay Thompson of Southwestern all received one
vote.
Lindsay Thompson, a first-year middle blocker from Austin, Texas,
hit a league-best .369 during the regular season with 253 kills
(2.43 per set) and just 60 errors on 523 total attacks. She was
also third in the league in blocks, averaging 1.13 per set.
She is the third player from Southwestern, and the first since
2002, to earn the league's Freshman-of-the-Year award.
Thompson received seven votes in earning FOTY honors, four clear of
Meredith Ballard of Colorado College, who received three votes.
Stephanie Woeste of Centre College received the remaining vote.
Samantha Lingamfelter, a junior libero from New Braunfels, Texas,
was selected as the league's Backrow Player-of-the-Year for the
second consecutive year. Lingamfelter had 569 digs and finished
fourth in the league in digs per set with 4.78 during the regular
season. In just three seasons of play, she has already cracked the
league's top 10 list for career digs with 2,040. In addition to her
digging prowess, Lingamfelter is second in the SCAC this season
with 69 service aces.
Lingamfelter received five votes from the coaches in earning the
Backrow Player-of-the-Year award, edging out Emily Smith of DePauw,
who received four votes. Megan Guest of Trinity was awarded two
votes.
Head Coach Hannah Long led Southwestern to a 14-1 conference mark;
32-3 overall record (the team's fourth-straight 30+ win season),
and a first-place finish during the 2008 SCAC regular season. The
Pirates are currently riding a 20-match win streak. In her five
seasons in Georgetown, Long has compiled a 155-39 overall record
and a 67-16 record in SCAC play. Also the SCAC Coach-of-the-Year in
2005, she is the first Southwestern coach to earn the honor twice.
Last year, Long led the Pirates to an overall record of 30-12 (8-6
SCAC) while also receiving an at-large bid and a third straight
appearance to the NCAA Division III championship tournament again
advancing to the South Regional semifinals.
To view the complete 2008 All-SCAC Volleyball Team, click
here.