November 26, 2014
Chris Catanach and Five Student-Athletes Earn All-Region Honors
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The top-ranked University of
Tampa volleyball team led all region schools with four players on
the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-South Region
team, as UT added another honorable mention choice while Chris
Catanach was South Region Coach of the Year.
Among the UT selections are Marissa Lisenbee, Kahley Patrick,
Jessica Wagner and Berkley Whaley. Meagan Burke was honorable
mention.
Whaley, a junior outside hitter from St. Petersburg, Fla.,
earns the honor for the second consecutive season as she is also a
two-time Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year. A five-time
SSC Player of the Week in 2014, Whaley is the team leader with 381
kills, 21 service aces and 428.0 points while hitting an astounding
.371 from her outside hitter spot.
Lisenbee, a junior from Seminole, Fla., was a second-team
all-region choice as a sophomore in 2013. The rightside hitter is
second on the team with 255 kills and also sports a .366 hitting
percentage. She has also tallied 43 blocks on the season.
Patrick, a four-year starting setter from Clearwater, Fla., is
among the national leaders this season with 1,160 assists while
averaging 12.08 per set. She also leads the team with 254 digs and
ranks second with 20 service aces. She currently stands at 4,568
career assists, which ranks her fifth in program history.
Wagner, a junior middle hitter from Cape Coral, Fla., is a
first-team all-region selection for the second straight season. She
currently owns a .409 hitting percentage and leads all Spartans
with 88 total blocks. She also has a team-leading 23 solo
blocks.
Burke, a senior middle hitter from Jacksonville, is a
two-sport star in both volleyball and softball, who is also an
Academic All-American in both sports. Burke is a three-time
all-region selection and two-time All-American. She is currently
the nation's leader with a .422 attack percentage.
Now in his 31st year at the helm of the Spartans, he boasts a
career 966-166 record and UT is the current No. 1 team in the
nation according to the latest AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25
Poll. They recently won their sixth consecutive regional
championship. Tampa has dominated the Sunshine State Conference,
completing the last three regular seasons without a loss spanning
54 matches. This marks Catanach's unprecedented 14th AVCA Region
Coach of the Year honor, winning in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002,
2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014.
AVCA all-region awards are voted on by region coaches. All
first team members will be on the ballot for All-American
honors.