Courtesy: UNC Asheville

RADFORD, Va.-- UNC Asheville head coach Julie Torbett was named Big South Coach of the Year for the second time in her career, while Raquel Miotto, Lauren Ficker, and Kelsey Benorden were each named first-team All-Big South as the league announced its award-winners for the 2009 season Wednesday evening.

 Torbett's team went 24-9 this season with a 13-3 conference record to earn the top seed in the Tournament which begins on Thursday. Asheville shared the regular-season title with Liberty but earned the top seed by defeating Liberty twice during the season. The Bulldogs will face tournament host and eighth seed Radford on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

Torbett, the Big South leader in career wins, was also named Coach of the Year after the 2002 season.  The 2002 season was the last time Asheville won the regular-season title. The Bulldogs have reached the semifinals of the Big South Tournament in six of the last seven years and have played in the championship match three times since 2003.

The Bulldogs were the only team to have multiple players on the Big South first team. Miotto, the Big South record holder in career digs, earns her third first-team selection (2006, 2008, 2009). She finished runner-up in the Player of the Year voting to Winthrop's Kelley Taylor. Miotto leads the Big South in digs per set and aces per set. She holds school records for career digs and most service aces in a single-season. She has been a first or second team all-conference member all four years of her career.

Ficker earns her first All-Big South selection after leading the team in kills as a senior. She has the second highest single-season attack percentage in Asheville history and ranks 10th in career kills, third in career attack percentage, and sixth in total career blocks at Asheville.

Benorden earns her second first-team selection (2008, 2009). She leads the conference in double-doubles with 18 and ranks second in the Big South in kills and ninth in digs. Only a junior, Benorden ranks seventh in career kills and sixth in career attacks at Asheville. Along with her second-team all conference selection in 2007, she has earned all-conference honors each year she has played. 

Asheville senior Bridget Holliday was named to the conference All-Academic Team giving the Bulldogs five award winners on the evening.  The Bulldogs also accepted their Regular-Season Championship trophy.

Coastal Carolina's Jill Nyhoff was named Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year and fellow Chanticleer Sierra Livesay was named Freshman of the Year. The rest of the first and second teams are as follows...

2009 Big South Conference Volleyball Award Winners
First Team All-Conference
Kelley Taylor, Winthrop
Raquel Miotto, UNC Asheville
Chelaine McCarty, Liberty
Amanda Hill, Charleston Southern
Lauren Ficker, UNC Asheville
Chelsey Kimes, Coastal Carolina
Kelsey Benorden, UNC Asheville

Second Team All-Conference
Nicki Scripko, Liberty
Kaley Viola, Winthrop
Kallie Corbin, Liberty
Megan Bickford, Coastal Carolina
Julie Hershkowitz, High Point
Laura Wilcox, Gardner-Webb
Karyl Bacon, Liberty

All-Freshman Team
Sierra Livesay, Coastal Carolina
Loren Thomas, Liberty
Molly Rhyne, Gardner-Webb
Courtney Johnk, High Point
Presley Mabrey, Presbyterian
Desiree Aramburu, Radford
Allison Brown, Presbyterian

All-Academic Team
Jill Nyhof, Coastal Carolina
Nichole Diller, Charleston Southern
Chelaine McCarty, Liberty
Evan Moffitt, Gardner-Webb
Ashley Dunlap, Presbyterian
Laura Waddell, Radford
Megan Kaminiskas, High Point
Kelley Taylor, Winthrop
Bridget Holiday, UNC Asheville

Player of the Year
Kelley Taylor, Winthrop

Freshman of the Year
Sierra Livesay, Coastal Carolina

Coach of the Year
Julie Torbett, UNC Asheville

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Jill Nyhof, Coastal Carolina