Whaley Earns SSC Player of the Decade
MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Sunshine State Conference announced its 2010-2019 volleyball All-Decade honors. A total of fifteen student-athletes were named to the All-Decade teams. Voting took place among the league's administrators and coaches.
University of Tampa's Berkley Whaley earned the top honor as the two-time National Player of the Year earned the title of SSC Player of the Decade. Head coach Chris Catanach was named the coach of the Decade. Joining Whaley on the first team was Danielle Selkridge. Meagan Burke, Katie McKiel, and Jessica Wagner also earned All-Decade honors as they were named to the Second-Team.
Berkley Whaley (OH – 2013-15 – Player of the Decade/First- Team)
Whaley took home Player of the Decade honors after a highly decorated career at Tampa. Whaley is a two-time National Player of the Year as she earned AVCA honors in 2014 and D2CCA in 2015. Whaley also led the Spartans to their second National Championship in the 2014 season, while also earning five first-team All-American honors, six All-South Region honors, and three SSC Player of the Year awards. During the 2014-15 season, Whaley was also named SSC Female Athlete of the Year and is one of only two athletes to earn SSC Player of the Year three times.
Chris Catanach (Coach of the Decade)
Voters honor Tampa's Chris Catanach as the SSC Coach of the Decade. From 2010-19, he guided the Spartans program to a 287-55 (81.2%) record and seven conference championships. During the same period, Catanach and the Spartans won the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships in 2014 and 2018, reached the title game twice more, and the final four a total of five times. He was named SSC Coach of the Year five times, South Region Coach of the Year four times, and AVCA National Coach of the Year twice during the past decade.
Danielle Selkridge (MB, 2009-2012 – First-Team)
Selkridge also earned a spot on the All-Decade First-Team as she was a force in the middle for the Spartans. In 2012, Selkridge earned the AVCA and Daktronics National Player of the Year honor. During her career, she earned All-America honors in three seasons and was named to the All-SSC teams each year. Selkridge also earned a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament teams twice (2010 &2012).
Meagan Burke (MB- 2011-2014 - Second-Team)
Burke was a four-year player at UT, Burke was a crucial member of the Spartans' 2014 championship run. She was named a First Team All-American in 2014 by Daktronics after earning Third Team in 2013. The AVCA awarded her Honorable Mention All-American and Second Team All-American in 2013 and 2012, respectively. During her career, Burke received nine All-South Region honors and was named to All-SSC teams every year.
Katie McKiel (OH – 2016-2019 – Second-Team)
Mckiel led the Spartans to the NCAA Division II national title in 2018. It was a year in which she was named First Team All-America by the AVCA, Honorable Menton All-America by the D2CCA, and All-Tournament by the NCAA Championship Committee. The following year McKiel was named SSC Player of the Year and a Second Team All-America selection by the AVCA. McKiel earned six All-South Region and four All-SSC accolades throughout her career.
Jessica Wagner (MB- 2012-2015 – Second-Team)
Wagner's performance for Spartans in the 2014 NCAA tournament was so pivotal that she took home the Championship MVP award while Tampa lifted the national title trophy. Wagner was tabbed as First Team All-American by the AVCA and Daktronics in 2014 and again in 2015. She took home seven All-South region honors in her career along with three SSC awards, including the 2015 SSC Player of the Year trophy.
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