Volleyball | 12/8/2015 4:17:00 PM

2015 AVCA All-American Teams

Lexington, Ky.----Wingate University senior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) has been named an honorable mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Stumpff earns All-American accolades for the first time in her career. She is the only SAC player to earn AVCA All-American honors this year and one of only two players from the Southeast Region, joining USC Aiken's Ashley Diedrich.

"Shelly receiving such a prestigious honor is very special for her as an individual player and great for our volleyball program as well," head coach Shelton Collier says. "She had a tremendous season in terms of consistency and high-level performances, and I am so proud her progress over the course of her four year career here. We have had a number of players who have received All-American notoriety over the years, and this season Shelly's performance was one of the best ever for a Wingate player."

This marks the ninth consecutive season a Wingate player has earned All-American consideration. The first was in 2007, when Melissa DeLuca was an AVCA honorable mention All-American. Stormi Gale was an honorable mention All-American in 2008, while earning All-American accolades from Daktronics and the AVCA in 2009 and 2010. Lauren Billo and Maggie Malone were also honorable mention All-Americans in 2009. Liz Willis was a third team All-American in 2011, while Anna Hilton earned honorable mention accolades in 2011, then earned third team honors in 2012. In 2013, Hilton became the first player in Wingate or SAC history to earn AVCA first team All-American honors, while Lexi Potter became the first-ever AVCA second team All-American in Wingate or SAC history. Alison Cooke and Abby Saehler were third team AVCA All-Americans in 2014, with Potter earning honorable mention accolades.

Stumpff has piled up the awards since her arrival on campus. She earned SAC Freshman of the year honors in 2012, while also being named the AVCA Southeast Region Freshman of the Year. Stumpff was an All-SAC and All-Region selection as a freshman, leading the Bulldogs in kills as Wingate won a pair of conference titles and the regional championship. Stumpff earned first team All-SAC and All-Region accolades in 2014, leading the Bulldogs to their ninth straight SAC regular and tournament titles and third consecutive regional championship.

In 2015, Stumpff was named the SAC Player of the Year, while also picking up first team all-conference honors. She earned All-Region accolades from the AVCA and the D2CCA to go along with Academic All-District honors from CoSIDA. Stumpff led SAC with 3.94 kills and 0.60 aces per set, ranking sixth nationally in aces. She was also the league-leader in points, ranking 17th in the nation with 4.8 points per set. Stumpff finished second on the team with 3.16 digs per set while ranking sixth in the conference with a .288 hitting percentage.

Stumpff finished her illustrious career as Wingate's all-time leader with 219 aces. She ranks third in program history with 1,405 kills, adding 1,216 digs. She averaged 3.1 kills per set in her career. Stumpff is one of only three Bulldogs with at least 1400 career kills. She ranks third in school history in kills per set, while her 449 kills in 2015 ranks sixth in single-season history.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,100 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, master's degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 15 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visitwww.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past nine years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 81 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 81 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 90 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.