Catawba Valley Community College’s players honored by Region X, including freshman Emma Clarke (second from left) as Player of the Year./PHOTO BY CODY DALTON, CATAWBA VALLEY ATHLETICS
HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Emma Clark, a freshman from Boone who led Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) to its seventh straight Region X volleyball title, has been named the Region X Player of the Year.
She had 340 kills and 180 blocks, leading all players in the region in those statistics, and was second in the region in aces (68).
NJCAA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL DIVISION II TOURNAMENT
(at Charleston, W. Va., Civic Center, Nov. 15-17)
First round matches
No. 16 Mercyhurst North East vs. No. 1 Coffeyville
No. 9 North Dakota SCS vs. No. 8 Northeast
No. 13 Moraine Valley vs. No. 4 South Mountain
No. 12 Carl Sandburg vs. No. 5 Kirkwood
No. 15 Northern Virginia vs. No. 2 Parkland
No. 10 CATAWBA VALLEY vs. No. 7 Grand Rapids
No. 14 Oakland vs. No. 3 Johnson County
No. 11 Lake Sumter State vs. No. 6 Lincoln Land
Clark, Emily Williams and Sage Harrington made the All-Region X first-team, and Emilee Webber was selected to the second team.
“I am so proud of all of our players and how they worked together to go undefeated again in conference play this year,” CVCC head coach Shannon Hudson said in a CVCC press release. “It was nice for Emilee, Sage and Emily to be recognized by the Region for their outstanding efforts this season, and how exciting for Emma to be named Region X Player of the Year as a freshman. It’s awesome to see her hard work pay off.”
Clark is the fifth Red Hawks player to win Player of the Year in volleyball, joining Francesca Edgerton, Megan Clark, Jennifer Beatty and Megan Fair on that list.
The Player of the Year honor caught Clark, a 6-foot-1 middle hitter who played prep volleyball at Watauga, by surprise.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” she said in the press release. “I just came to follow my passion for volleyball and grow as a player. I was really surprised. They didn’t give me a heads up or anything.
“I was happy that my parents were there, too. They didn’t know. They were shaken by it, too. It was really sweet.”
Clark credits assistant coach Mark Wimberley with her development in her first collegiate volleyball season.
“He helped me with my blocking a lot,” Clark said. “I would not be able to get this award without him. He kept me after practice sometimes and would work on my footwork. That really helped me out.
“I’ve been striving to get better as a player, and it’s nice to get recognized. It’s not my main priority. I like volleyball. It’s my passion, but I also use it as my base to pay for school. That’s why I’m at CVCC.”
A sophomore libero from Statesville and North Iredell High, Williams tallied a region-best 695 digs and also recorded 49 service aces and 93 assists. She ranks second in program history in digs with 1,416.
Harrington, a freshman middle hitter from Taylorsville and Alexander Central High, ranked fourth in the conference with 267 kills, and her 133 total blocks were third-best in Region X.
Webber, a sophomore setter from Denver, N.C., and North Lincoln High, ranked first among conference players with 78 service aces. She also notched 646 assists, third–most among conference players, and 254 digs.
CVCC has reached the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) tournament in Charleston, W. Va. for Division II and plays Grand Rapids first in a three day-event that begins on Thursday.