LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – In a vote by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference's head volleyball coaches, freshman Rachel Demerjian was named to the Second Team All-Conference squad. It is the third time in program history, and the second consecutive season, a Ladies Volleyball player has appeared on a non-freshman/newcomer All-Conference team.
Demerjian also received a vote for SCAC Freshman of the Year.
"Rachel has had an outstanding season and proven herself to be vital in the success of our program," said Head Coach Caroline Carlton. "She could not be more deserving of conference honors. Rachel has pushed through injury and sacrificed to help her team continuously. I could not be more proud of the work Rachel has done this season and cannot wait to see her blossom in seasons to come. Rachel has shown leadership, even as a freshman, and I know her future here at Centenary is bright!
So far through 30 matches played, Demerjian sits fourth in the conference with 8.72 assists per set. She has accumulated 924 assists – a Ladies record for the NCAA Division III era. The number also ranks fifth in assists for the season, regardless of era. In the Ladies five set win against Johnson & Wales October 13, she broke the Centenary Division III record for assists in a match with 55. In a Centenary sweep at Schreiner, Demerjian averaged 14 assists per set, a career match high.
On September 17, Demerjian became the first Ladies Volleyball player in program history to receive SCAC Player of the Week honors. That week, she nearly recorded the conference's lone triple-double of the season in Centenary's 3-1 win against NCAA Division I Grambling State. She finished the match with 34 assists, 10 digs, and nine kills. Also that week, after the Ladies sweep at Schreiner, she helped Centenary pick up its first conference win ever against Texas Lutheran.
Demerjian led the team with 18 double-doubles, including three straight to end the regular season. In the final match of the regular season at Jarvis Christian, Demerjian tallied 49 assists and 13 digs – including 16 assists and seven digs in the first set alone.
Last season, Desiree Frey became the first Ladies Volleyball player to be named SCAC All-Conference when she was named to the Second Team. Kim Bolin was named Third Team Trans American Athletic Conference (TAAC, now the Atlantic Sun) in 1998. Lauren Fielding in 2006 and Lindsay Bekelja in 2004 made the Mid-Continent All-Freshman squads.
Centenary, who is the fifth seed in the upcoming SCAC Tournament, returns to action Friday afternoon, November 2, against host and fourth seeded Dallas in a quarterfinal match. First serve is set for 3:30 p.m. in Irving, Texas.