Savannah, Ga.----The awards continue to pile up for Wingate University senior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.). On Wednesday, the SAC Player of the Year and SAC Scholar Athlete was named the Southeast Region Player of the Year by Daktronics. Redshirt sophomore rightside hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) joined Willis as a first team All-Region selection, while sophomore outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned second team accolades.
 
The group has led the Bulldogs to another record-breaking season. Wingate became the first team in SAC history to go through an undefeated regular season. The 14th-ranked Bulldogs are 30-0 entering this week’s NCAA Southeast Region tournament, which will be held in Cuddy Arena for the fourth consecutive year. Wingate won its sixth straight SAC regular season and tournament title this season, while pushing its league-record SAC winning streak to 82 matches. The Bulldogs are looking to rank in the top three nationally in winning percentage for the fifth consecutive year. Wingate led the nation in 2007 and 2010, ranking third in 2008 and 2009. The ‘Dogs are one of only two remaining unbeaten teams in the nation in 2011.
 
“My first thought when I saw the news release was that the first team all region team would be a really good starting unit if they played together,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “There are some very good players selected. Secondly, For Liz to get yet another prestigious honor is very special for her, we are all extremely proud of her. As for Anna's selection, I am so happy she has received this recognition. She was without question the best all around player in our conference this season, so her selection is well deserved.
Cory really elevated her game as the season progressed, and we are pleased she named to the all region team as well.”
 
This season, Willis became the first player in South Atlantic Conference history to be named the SAC Player of the Year, SAC Scholar Athlete and SAC Tournament MVP in the same season. She is also the only volleyball player in league history to earn Freshman of the Year honors, Player of the Year honors be named the Scholar Athlete in her career. She is a four-time All-SAC and All-Region performer, while also being selected to the Academic All-District team twice.
 
Willis leads the SAC and ranks fourth nationally with 11.79 assists per set on the season, to go along with 2.80 digs per set. She leads a Wingate offense that ranks ninth nationally with 14.4 kills per set this year. She has notched nine double-doubles this season, while handing out 40 or more assists 13 times. Willis had a career-best 58 assists in the Flagler victory, while piling up a career-high 22 digs against Carson-Newman. She had 50 assists and 12 digs in the Tusculum win, while piling up 46 assists and 16 digs at Catawba. Willis had 55 assists and 18 digs at Tusculum. She notched 51 assists and 19 digs in the SAC quarterfinal win over Carson-Newman, while collecting 52 assists and 12 digs in the title match against Catawba.
 
Hilton was a first team All-SAC selection, ranking fourth in the league with 3.22 kills per set and second with a .312 hitting percentage. She also has 3.05 digs and 0.75 blocks per set. Hilton has notched 10 double-doubles on the season, while collecting double-digit kills 20 times. She has also had 10 matches this year with a hitting percentage of at least .400. Hilton had 16 kills and 14 digs at Carson-Newman, followed by a 17-kill, 10-dig performance at Lincoln Memorial. She had 12 kills and 19 digs against Tusculum, while notching 16 kills and 15 digs at Catawba. Hilton had 14 kills and a career-high 24 digs at Tusculum, while piling up 12 kills and 16 digs with a .522 hitting percentage at Lenoir-Rhyne. She had 12 kills and 18 digs in the SAC quarterfinal win over Carson-Newman, while notching 13 kills and 12 digs in the championship victory over Catawba.
 
McGowan also ranks fourth in the league with 3.22 kills per set, adding 1.74 digs per set. She has had double-digit kills 16 times this year. McGowan had a career-high 18 kills with a .500 hitting percentage in the Flagler win. She had 13 kills at LMU and 14 against Brevard. McGowan had 12 kills with a .647 hitting percentage against Fayetteville State, while piling up 16 kills with a .464 hitting percentage against Carson-Newman. She had 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage in the regular season finale sweep over Newberry. She piled up 18 kills in the SAC quarterfinal win over Carson-Newman, hitting .326. McGowan had 12 kills and a career-best 19 digs in the championship win over Catawba.
 
Members of the first team are now eligible for Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America honors. The Daktronics NCAA DII teams are voted on by the NCAA Division II members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) from the Southeast Region, which is comprised of schools from Conference Carolinas, the South Atlantic Conference and the Peach Belt Conference. The online nomination and voting process is powered by ATHLETICSITE.COM.
 
The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition.

2011 Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region Volleyball Team
 
First Team
Pos.     Name, School
RS       Anna Hilton, Wingate
OH      Dianna Craine, Flagler
RS       Brendyce Budd, Armstrong
MH      Brittany Wolf, Armstrong
MH      Crystal Niederriter, Flagler
S          Liz Willis, Wingate
L/DS    Caitlyn Dean, Tusculum
 
2011 Southeast Region Player of the Year: Liz Willis, Sr., Raleigh, N.C.
 
Second Team
Pos.     Name, School
OH      Cory McGowan, Wingate
OH      Jessica Santaniello, Armstrong
OH      Taylor Clendenin, Lees-McRae
MH      Nikki James, Carson-Newman
MH      Blaire Fowler, Lincoln Memorial
MH      Manyi Ati, Montevallo
S          Olivia Snipes, Flagler
L/DS    Casey Gnann, Flagler