Nov. 14, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Samford sophomore middle blocker Sheriden Stangohr and freshman setter Hillary Fountain have received post-season honors for their accomplishments throughout the 2007 season. Stangohr has been named to the First Team All-OVC while Fountain received OVC All-Newcomer honors.

The two helped lead the Bulldogs to their first winning season in 20 years of Samford volleyball. The Bulldogs finished 16-13 overall this season while going 11-9 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Stangohr, who is the first Bulldog to earn First Team All-OVC honors, finished the season leading her team in blocks while grabbing the top spot on Samford's single-season record list for block assists with 129 in the 2007 season. She ranks second in kills with 324 and hitting percentage with .326. She is sixth on Samford's career block assists list and ranks second in the OVC in blocks and third in hitting percentage.

The sophomore broke a personal record in blocks three times this season. Going into the season, Stangohr's career high in blocks was 7.0. On Aug. 29, in a win over Chattanooga, she matched a career high in block assists (7) and total blocks (7.0). Two weeks later, the middle blocker top those numbers in a win over South Alabama in the DePaul Tournament as she posted eight block assists, giving her a career-high eight total blocks. Another two weeks later she notched another career-high nine blocks (1-8) in Samford win over Austin Peay and a month later grabbed 10 total blocks (1-9) for a new career high in a win over then No. 2 Murray State.

"I am so proud that Sheriden's hard work was recognized by the OVC coaches and SID's," Samford head coach Michelle Durban said. "Sheriden is a special player because she brings so much energy to the court. She was consistent offensively and defensively throughout the year and this honor shows what hard work can do for you."

Fountain finished the season fifth in the OVC in assists with 12.19 assists per game while ranking third in assists (1,256) in a single-season and seventh all-time. She posted a career-high .625 hitting percentage against South Alabama in the DePaul Tournament and grabbed a career-high 61 assists in her third collegiate match (Chattanooga, Aug. 29). Three matches later she matched that number and two weeks later notched a new career high against Tennessee-Martin with 61 assists. A month later she shattered that record, posted a new career-high 71 assists in a five-game win over Austin Peay.

She also contributed greatly to the defensive effort of the Bulldogs. The freshman grabbed a career-high 13 digs three times during the season and notched six block assist in a win over Murray State on Sept. 15th.

"Hillary did a nice job of distributing the ball to our hitters this year," Durban said. "She has all of the intangibles that a setter needs to run the court and this honor is a direct reflection of that. She worked to improve everyday and I believe her making the Newcomer team will continue her drive as we head into the spring season."

Joining Stanoghr on the first team are Abbey Breit (Jacksonville State), Karleigh DeLong (Southeast Missouri), Rebekah Nichols (Jacksonville State), Erin Peak (Morehead State), Brittany Nobilio (Eastern Kentucky), and Katelyn Barbour (Morehead State).

The second team consisted of Dodi Szymska (Austin Peay, Tara DeMage (Murray State), Ashley Doscher (Morehead State), Leah Meffert (Tennessee Tech), Katie Kenline (Tennessee Tech), Endia Oliver (Tennessee State) and Kelly Davis (Tennessee State).

Joining Fountain on the all-newcomer team are Leah Meffert (Tennessee Tech), Aubrey Dondlinger (Southeast Missouri), Alex Zwettler (Eastern Illinois), Kaitlin Craven (Morehead State), Christian Lowe (Tennessee State) and Brooke Schemacher (Jacksonville State).

Abbey Breit of Jacksonville State was voted OVC Player of the Year while Brittany Nobilio of Eastern Kentucky was named Defensive Player of the Year. Freshman of the Year was Leah Meffert of Tennessee Tech and Renata Nowacki was named Coach of the Year.