Carico, Loessberg Named to All-ACC Volleyball Team

Dec. 3, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Sophomore Lane Carico and senior Cassie Loessberg have been selected to the All-ACC Volleyball Team announced Thursday afternoon by the conference office in Greensboro, N.C.

Carico, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter from Manhattan Beach, Calif., led the Atlantic Coast Conference in double-double matches on the year, picking up a career-high 19 on the campaign. She ended the regular season with a league-leading 485 kills, averaging 4.37 kills per set. Additionally, she ranks 18th nationally in kills.

This is Carico’s second All-ACC award after being named ACC Freshman of the Year, and to the All-ACC Second Team a year ago. She was also named as the 2008 AVCA East Region Freshman of the Year.

As for senior Cassie Loessberg, the All-ACC nod was the first of its kind for the Sacramento native. A libero/defensive specialist for the Hurricanes, Loessberg led the league the entire 2009 season with a 5.05 digs per set average (560 total digs). She ended the 2009 regular season with a school-leading 1,984 digs. She is seeking a chance to become one of a special elite group of players in ACC history to grab 2,000 digs for a career, entering Thursday’s NCAA Tournament match against FIU.

Loessberg ended the year ranking 31st nationally for digs per set, and had 14 matches in which she registered 20-or more digs. She finished the regular season having collected 10 consecutive double-digit digs performances.

For Miami ninth-year head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch, student-athletes Carico and Loessberg represent the ninth and 10th players, respectively, she’s had earn All-ACC honors during her tenure in Coral Gables.

Florida State senior middle blocker Brianna Barry was selected as the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Volleyball Player of the Year in a vote of the head coaches to headline the 2009 All-ACC Volleyball team, announced today by Commissioner John Swofford. Barry is joined by Clemson senior Defensive Player of the Year Didem Ege, Georgia Tech Freshman of the Year Monique Mead, and Coach of the Year Chris Poole of Florida State as this year’s individual award winners.

Both Clemson and Florida State led all league teams with four selections apiece to the All-ACC team. Duke and Georgia Tech followed with three picks each, including Blue Devil senior outside hitter Rachael Moss, who became a four-time All-ACC honoree in 2009 and was selected as a first-team College Sports Information Directors of America/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America earlier this season. Miami placed two individuals on the All-ACC team, while Virginia and Virginia Tech had one honoree each.

Named to the 2009 ACC All-Freshman team were Clemson middle hitters Sandra Adeleye and Alexa Rand, Duke middle blocker Christiana Gray, Florida State outside hitter Fatma Yildirim, Virginia Tech middle blocker Cara Baarendse, and Mead.

For more information on the All-ACC Volleyball Team and an official release from the conference office, please log on to www.TheACC.com.

2009 All-ACC Volleyball Team

Player of the Year: Brianna Barry, Sr., MB, Florida State

Defensive Player of the Year: Didem Ege, Sr., DS, Clemson

Coach of the Year: Chris Poole, Florida State

2009 ACC All-Freshman Volleyball Team

Freshman of the Year: Monique Mead, OH, Georgia Tech