Krebs repeats as CAC Volleyball Player of the Year, five named All-CAC, Knight selected as top coach
YORK, Pa. - The No. 22 Salisbury University volleyball team was the beneficiary of five All-Capital Athletic Conference players after the league office released its 2008 All-CAC volleyball teams on Tuesday. Senior outside hitter Stacey Krebs was named the CAC Volleyball Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and was also honored as a member of the All-CAC first team for the third consecutive season. She was joined by senior setter Jaime Marzocchi, junior libero Gabby Long, and junior outside hitter Rachel Downes on the first team. Sophomore middle hitter Alexandria Malesick received All-CAC second team honors. SU coach Margie Knight also earned CAC Coach of the Year honors for the third time in her career.
The five women have led the Sea Gulls to a second consecutive CAC championship and a nation's best streak of 35 consecutive wins. SU (35-1) posted a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play. Salisbury received the automatic berth into the NCAA tournament for winning the CAC and was assigned to the Juniata College regional where the Sea Gulls will face Richard Stockton on Thursday, November 13.
Salisbury has had at least one player on the All-CAC first team since 1997. The four first-team selections in one season is a program record along with the five overall selections.
Krebs received her second CAC Volleyball Player of the Year award after leading the team and CAC in kills (386) and kills per game (3.48). Her award marks the fourth time in school history that a Sea Gull has been named CAC Volleyball Player of the Year. She is the first person to repeat as the CAC Volleyball Player of the Year since 2003 when York (Pa.) College Spartan Kerry Casperson accomplished the feat. Krebs is the fourth person in CAC history (since 1991) to win this award twice. The Eldersburg, Md., native has 303 digs, 63 blocks and 27 service aces in 35 matches played. Krebs became the all-time career kills leader at SU on September 5 against Eastern Mennonite, breaking the former mark 1,366 held by Donna Hudson. Her efforts have propelled SU to 14th in the nation in kills per set (12.8). She was named MVP of the SU Invitational on September 27. Krebs was named to the All-Tournament team for both the Garnet Classic and Green Terror Invitational. She was named the CAC Player of the Week for the week of October 13. The senior now has 1,720 kills in her career at Salisbury.
Marzocchi, the team's setter, has 1,603 assists on the year. She leads the CAC and is 24th in the nation in assists per set (9.93). The Harrington Park, N.J., product has 2,562 assists and 1,534 digs in her four-year career at SU. Marzocchi's assist total ranks third all-time in school history and her dig total ranks fourth all-time. The senior was named to the All-Tournament teams in the Battlefield Classic and the Sea Gull Classic.
Downes has put together an impressive year as well. The Salisbury, Md., native has racked up 301 kills, 317 blocks, and 34 service aces this season. Her .293 hitting percentage has helped guide the Sea Gulls to fourth in the nation in hitting percentage (.278). In her three-year career, she has 829 kills and 764 digs. She was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III National Volleyball Player of the Week on October 28 after producing three straight double-doubles in the Sea Hawk Invitational. She was named MVP of the Garnet Classic on September 14. The junior has also been named CAC Player of the Week twice this season (September 15 and October 27).
Long is the team's defensive specialist as she leads the team with 606 digs. She is tops in the CAC and 34th in the nation in digs per set (5.51). This is the second time Long has made an All-CAC team in her three-year career at Salisbury. The Bel Air, Md., product is 10th in the conference in service aces per game (0.47). She was named to the All-Tournament teams for both the Sea Gull Classic and the Seahawk Invitational. The junior has 1,720 digs, which is coincidently the same number of career kills for fellow teammate Stacey Krebs.
Malesick has started all 36 games for the Sea Gulls this season and is second on the team in blocks (80) and blocks per game (0.76). She is fourth on the team in kills with 217. The Arnold, Md., native had an outstanding game for Salisbury in the CAC Championship against St. Mary's (Md.) when she registered a team-high 13 kills.
Knight receives her third CAC Coach of the Year honor in her 12th season at the helm at her Alma Mater. Knight last received the CAC honor in 2004 and in 1998. She has guided the Sea Gulls to five CAC championships and five NCAA tournament appearances since taking the post in 1997. Her career record is 280-149 at Salisbury.
Also see:
2008 Salisbury University Volleyball All-CAC Honorees
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Rachel Downes | Stacey Krebs CAC Player of the Year All-CAC First Team | Gabby Long All-CAC First Team | ||
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| Jaime Marzocchi All-CAC First Team | Alexandria Malesick All-CAC Second Team | Margie Knight CAC Coach of the Year |
