Eleven local volleyball players earned postseason recognition when the All-Conference teams were recently announced in the United-8 and Southeastern Athletic conferences.
Six total players from Lumberton and Purnell Swett were selections in the United-8, while a combined five players from St. Pauls, Fairmont and Red Springs earned honors in the Southeastern.
In the United-8, Purnell Swett’s Bella Finelli earned first-team recognition. Finelli was second in the conference with 472 digs on the season.
Purnell Swett’s Georgia Locklear earned a second-team selection while Katelynn Oxendine was named an honorable mention. Locklear registered 53 aces and 141 kills, both top-10 marks in the conference, and led the conference with 93 blocks; Oxendine had 109 kills and 129 digs for the season.
Lumberton had two second-team selections in Aydan Bullard and Alona Hanna. Bullard was third in the conference with 78 aces and had 80 kills, 10 blocks and 180 digs; Hanna was ninth in the league with 176 kills and 10th with 203 digs, while also totaling 37 aces.
The Pirates’ La’Kayia Hunt earned an honorable mention selection after a 56-kill, 86-block season.
Cape Fear’s Olivia Melvin was named United-8 Player of the Year and Colts coach Kelly Melvin earned Coach of the Year honors. Finelli was joined on the All-Conference first team by Gray’s Creek’s Ava Sterling, Kayla Schlautman and Taylor Baggett; Cape Fear’s Brooke Bambatepe and Payton Gunter; Seventy-First’s Jewel Pitt; South View’s Katelynn Swain and Taniyah Pruitt; and Jack Britt’s Sydney Kendall-Eason and Caytlyn Sanford.
In the Southeastern Athletic Conference, which names just one all-conference team, Katherin Lowery and Jada McKinnon represented St. Pauls as selections. Lowery had 93 kills, 56 aces, 112 digs and 234 assists for the season, while McKinnon totaled 27 blocks and 76 kills.
Fairmont setter Payton Gall and outside hitter Anastasia Andujar also earned All-Conference nods. Sydney Bell outside hitter earned an All-Conference selection for Red Springs.
Midway’s McKenzie Williams was named the SAC’s Player of the Year and the Raiders’ Susan Clark earned Coach of the Year honors. Other All-Conference players included Midway’s Blair Baggett, Jaycie Byrd and Morgan Hall; East Bladen’s Acee Campbell and AnnaGrey Huestess; Clinton’s Abigail Bachelor and Mackenzie Pope; and West Bladen’s Emily Young.
Four Pirates, three Rams, Register earn United-8 tennis honors
Robeson County’s two United-8 Conference schools were well-represented in the league’s All-Conference tennis team, with four Lumberton players and three from Purnell Swett earning recognition.
Lumberton coach Mackie Register was also named the conference’s Coach of the Year after leading the Pirates to the league’s 4A conference title.
Lumberton’s Emily Hall, Alyssa Stone, Logan Hickman and Shania Hunt earned All-Conference selections.
Purnell Swett’s Nyla Mitchell, Natalie Evington and Raven Cummings also earned selections.
Cape Fear’s Anna Piland was named the United-8 Player of the Year and the Colts led the All-Conference team with five additional selections.
