Peach Belt Releases Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team

The Peach Belt Conference has released its first-ever volleyball preseason All-Conference team. Eight players were named to the team as voted on by the league’s Sports Information Directors. Francis Marion led the way with three selections as Jackie Phiel, Michelle Settergren and Jenna Kaiser were honored. USC Aiken had two with Mandy Gerolstein and Missy Deardorff. Armstrong Atlantic State’s Rindy Vidovich, Lander’s Kay Stewart and UNC Pembroke’s Andrea Laza were also named to the team.

FMU’s Jackie Phiel led the Patriots in aces in 2006 and was second on the team in digs and third in kills. The senior from Amherst, Ohio was also ranked third in the PBC in aces per game and 12th in digs per game and enters the 2007 season with over 1,200 career digs and 750 career kills. Michelle Settergren was the 2004 PBC Freshman of the Year and will enter her senior season in 2007. A native of Walnut, Calif., Settergren was second on the Patriots with 89 blocks a year ago while hitting .209 with 1.84 kills per game. Jenna Kaiser was the 2005 PBC Freshman of the Year and named All-Conference in 2006. A junior from Broomfield, Colo., Kaiser led the PBC in assists with 10.86 per game last season and was a three-time PBC Specialist of the Week.

USC Aiken’s Mandy Gerolstein returns for her senior season after being named All-Conference and the PBC Tournament Most Valuable Player in 2006. A senior from Millersville, Md., Gerolstein averaged 3.25 kills per game while hitting .298 for the Lady Pacers. She also led the PBC in blocks with 1.41 per game. Missy Deardorff was the only player in the Peach Belt to appear in the conference rankings in hitting percentage, blocks and digs. A senior from Dumfries, Va., Deardorff helped guide USCA to a share of the PBC regular-season championship, the PBC Tournament title and the team’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Rindy Vidovich was named PBC All-Conference and All-Tournament in 2006 after leading the Lady Pirates to a share of the PBC regular-season championship. A senior from San Pedro, Calif., Vidovich had 262 kills, 307 digs and 71 blocks last season.

Lander’s Kay Stewart was also named to the All-Conference team in 2006 and was the first PBC Player of the Week last season. A junior from St. Louis, Mo., Stewart led the Bearcats with 389 kills and was second in the PBC with a .305 hitting percentage. She was also second in the league with 1.35 blocks per game.

Andrea Laza played in all 29 of UNCP’s matches and in 106 of 107 games last season as Libero. A sophomore from Cary, N.C., she led the Braves and was ranked second in the PBC with 4.92 digs per game. She was also second on the team with 34 aces and had 20 or more digs in 12 matches.

2007 Peach Belt Conference Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team

Hitters
Missy Deardorff, USC Aiken
Mandy Gerolstein, USC Aiken
Jackie Phiel, Francis Marion
Michelle Settergren, Francis Marion
Kay Stewart, Lander
Rindy Vidovich, Armstrong Atlantic State

Setter
Jenna Kaiser, Francis Marion

Libero
Andrea Laza, UNC Pembroke