NEW CASTLE, Del. - - Junior middle hitter Katie Shorter has been named the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, in a vote by the league's head coaches, capping the annual CACC volleyball banquet held in the Doberstein Admission Center on the campus of Wilmington University on Friday afternoon.

The Wildcats placed four student-athletes on All-Conference teams after earning the South Division's number one seed in the ongoing CACC Tournament. Wilmington advanced to the CACC Semifinals which will be played later tonight in the WU Athletics Center by defeating the North Division's No. 4 seed, Post University, on Tuesday.

The tournament, which was originally scheduled to be held on the campus of Georgian Court University but moved to Wilmington due to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, will be played in the WU Athletics Complex with the semifinals taking place on Friday at 5:30 and 7:30 and the Championship on Saturday at 1 p.m.

In addition to being named Player of the Year, Shorter was placed on the All-CACC First Team after leading the league in all three blocking categories and finishing third in hitting percentage in the conference. Shorter's 1.43 blocks per set average is fourth in all of NCAA Division II, as of November 4. She also finished 11th in the CACC in points (330.5) as a middle hitter.

It is the first time since 2004 that Wilmington earned a major award winner in volleyball, when Julia Atkins was named the CACC Player of the Year in leading the Wildcats to the CACC Regular Season and Tournament Championships.

Joining Shorter on the first team was Wildcat senior outside hitter Nicole Wiechecki who led the team in kills, aces, digs and points. Her 2.75 kills per set ranks fifth in the CACC while she is the third leading point getter on aces in the league, averaging 0.60 per set heading into the CACC Semifinal. Wiechecki's 0.60 aces per set ranks ninth in NCAA Division II. Wiechecki becomes the only Wildcat volleyball player in program history to earn All-CACC First Team in three consecutive seasons.

For the second year in a row, junior middle hitter Brittany Biddle earned Second Team All-CACC. She was second in the CACC in total blocks (112), directly behind Shorter. Biddle was also third in the league in blocks per set (0.98), fourth in block assists (80) and hitting percentage (.275) and fifth overall in solo blocks (32).

Freshman sensation Kaitlin DiGiacinto rounded out the awards for Wilmington, as she was named Honorable Mention in her first season as a Wildcat. She finished sixth in the CACC in kills (290) and points (351.5) and ended in eighth in kills per set (2.59). DiGiacinto was not only second on the team offensively but also defensively, collecting 321 digs (2.87 per set) and third on the team with 37 service aces.

Dominican's Tori Dexter earned CACC Rookie of the Year after helping the Chargers to a perfect 19-0 mark in the CACC and the North Division Regular Season Championship. She finished seventh in the CACC in kills per set (2.69) and ninth in points (333.5). The Chargers' head coach, Stefanie Carrington, was named the CACC Coach of the Year and Nyack College earned the 2012 CACC Team Sportsmanship Award.

The Semifinals are set to begin with Dominican and Philadelphia squaring off at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the WU Athletics Complex. Wilmington and Georgian Court follow in the second semifinal, with a scheduled start of 7:30 p.m. The winners will meet on Saturday for the Championship, starting at 1 p.m., also at the WU Athletics Complex.

AGATE:

2012 All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Teams:

First Team:
Susan McDonough, Caldwell College
Katie Shorter, Wilmington University
Whitney Ranger, Dominican College
Moana Masaniai, Nyack College
Nicole Wiechecki, Wilmington University
Tori Dexter, Dominican College
Jordyn Fuller, Dominican College

Second Team:
Brittany Biddle, Wilmington University
Briana Kane, Nyack College
Amber Mosher, Caldwell College
Ellie Edgar, Philadelphia University
Amy Berry, Georgian Court University
Sarah Ambach, Holy Family University
Jaclyn Del Cid, Caldwell College

Honorable Mention: Michelle Fiorvanti (Dominican College), Kaitlin Digiacinto (Wilmington University), Chelsea Keegan (Holy Family University), Kadi McCoy (Goldey-Beacom College), Courtney Heard (Dominican College), Samantha Garza (Nyack College)

2012 All-CACC Player of the Year: Katie Shorter, Wilmington University
2012 All-CACC Rookie of the Year: Tori Dexter, Dominican College
2012 All-CACC Coach of the Year: Stefanie Carrington, Dominican College
2012 All-CACC Team Sportsmanship Award: Nyack College