Ballard leads three C-N athletes on All-SAC squads

Posted: Nov 15, 2017

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Morgan Ballard became the first Carson-Newman libero to be named first-team All-South Atlantic Conference since 2005 to lead a trio of Eagles named to postseason units by the league Wednesday morning.

Marnie Streeter (Goldvein, Va.) was named to the second unit after being tabbed to the freshman club in 2016. Megan Oldenburger (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) earned a spot on the All-Freshman team as the Eagles have had a player on that roster in each of the last three years.

In 2005, Blaire Young was picked to the top unit for the second consecutive season as Ballard becomes the 23rd Eagle to earn first-team honors.

The sophomore led the league in digs per set with 6.94 ranking fifth in the nation a mark that would be the top mark in the history of the program passing Young's tally of 6.79 in 2004.

With 722 total digs on the year, the Weaverville, N.C. native is the SAC leader and ranks sixth nationally. The figure is good for fourth on the school's ledger, 17 behind Young's 739 in 2003.

Ballard has registered the two highest dig tallies in Division II including a league record 58 digs in a four-set victory over Mars Hill on Sept. 9, 2017 and the 10th-most in the history of NCAA volleyball. The previous league mark was set by Jenny Young of Catawba versus Tusculum on Sept. 17, 2011 in a five-set outing. Caitlyn Dean held the mark for a SAC athlete in a four-set affair when she racked up 47 for the Pioneers against Anderson (S.C.) on Oct. 27, 2012. After recording 53 versus Augusta Oct. 14, the sophomore has three of the top six dig efforts in Division II in 2017.

On Sept. 12, Ballard was named the SAC's Specialist of the Week as she has recorded 20 digs or more on 16 occasions while leading the team in scoops 26 times in her first year in the Orange and Blue.

"It means absolutely everything to me," Ballard stated. "I wasn't really expecting it. It was definitely a goal but it wasn't something in the front of my mind. When I found out today it blew me away. I am really honored for this."

Streeter ranks third in the conference with 3.77 kills per set scoring 4.20 point per game. The sophomore has 703 total kills over her first two seasons as she has piled up 358 total kills in 2017.

The outside hitter was named the SAC Player of the Week twice this season on Sept. 12 and Oct. 30. 2015 was the last time an Eagle was named the league's player of the week more than once when Molly Locke was thrice lauded and Sara Fairley garnered recognition twice.

Streeter crushed the ball as C-N began league play over the weekend piling up 42 kills while hitting .244 against Tusculum and Mars Hill to earn her first weekly plaudit.

She guided Carson-Newman to a trio of victories away from home to earn her second honor to help stretch the club's winning streak to six matches. Overall she posted 54 total kills, 4.2 per set, while hitting just shy of .200 with 23 digs and three blocks.

For 11 straight matches, Streeter has registered double-digit kills to bring her season total to 21 on the year including three matches with 20 or more smashes.

The Goldvein, Va. native has recorded seven double-doubles on the season after recording one as a freshman including one Tuesday night against Tusculum in the SAC Quarterfinals with 15 kills and 15 digs.

Oldenburger joins teammate Natalie Harris (Monroe, N.C.) from 2015 and Streeter from 2016 as the line of three straight athletes named to the freshman unit.

In a five-set win over Augusta on Oct. 14, the outside hitter pounded out a career-high 21 kills on 99 swings. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native tallied second-most attacks in SAC history and 11th-highest in a five-set match in Division II history. The league record is 100 set by Brevard's Fatima Gharachorloo versus Lenoir-Rhyne on Oct. 27, 2015.

The rookie has recorded 10 double-digit matches with kills and 11 with double-digit digs while posting eight double-doubles.

"It's really exciting," Oldenburger iterated. "We came in with a big freshman class not knowing what to expect for playing time. The upperclassmen helped guide me into where I am today as a player. Dave's coaching style is a lot like my club's coaches before so that was an easy transition. The girls are very supportive."

Carson-Newman is in the SAC semifinals Friday afternoon at 6:30 p.m. against No. 1 seed and regular season titlist Anderson (S.C.) at Holt Fieldhouse. The Eagle Sports Network will have the coverage on cneagles.com/live 15 minutes before first serve.

2017 SAC Volleyball All-Conference

First Team

Katie Bludau, Wingate

Marissa Mitter, Anderson

Anna Holmquist, Wingate

Rebecca Cochran, Queens

Rachel Burts, Anderson

Emily Conlin, Anderson

Sydney Kunz, Queens

Morgan Ballard, Carson-Newman (L)

Second Team

Marnie Steeter, Carson-Newman