GREENWOOD, S.C. -- The Peach Belt Conference announced the 2007
volleyball All-Conference team at a banquet on the eve of the PBC
Tournament in Greenwood, S.C. USC Aiken’s Mandy Gerolstein
was named the PBC Player of the Year while Lander’s Candace
LaRocca was named the Freshman of the Year and her coach, Carla
Decker, was named the Coach of the Year.
Gerolstein was the offensive force for the PBC Champion Lady
Pacers. The senior from Millersville, Ind., led the conference with
her .407 hitting percentage, which also ranks her 11th in all of
Division II. She is also third in the conference in total kills and
seventh in blocks. A three-time PBC Player of the Week in 2007,
Gerolstein earns her third straight All-Conference honor and
becomes the first USC Aiken player to be named the Player of the
Year since Kim Merrill in 1995.
Candace LaRocca played in all 31 matches for Lander in 2007. A
true freshman from St. Louis, Mo., LaRocca led the team and was
third in the PBC in assists with 1,235. She was also fifth in the
PBC in service aces with 53 and had 266 kills and 42 blocks. She
becomes the first Lander player to ever be named the PBC Freshman
of the Year.
In only her second year as head coach, Carla Decker has overseen a
dramatic turnaround at Lander. In 2007, the team set school records
for overall wins and conference wins with their 22-9 overall record
and 6-4 PBC mark. Heading into the PBC Tournament, the Bearcats are
seeded second, their highest seed ever. The team has won 20 or more
games in both of her seasons as head coach and she becomes the
first Lander volleyball coach to receive Coach of the Year honors.
Below is the PBC volleyball all-conference team as selected by
the league’s head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote
for their own players.
Peach Belt Conference
2007 All-Conference Volleyball Team
Gwen Clarke, Armstrong Atlantic State
Stephanie Durham, USC Aiken
Heather Fierce, UNC Pembroke
Mandy Gerolstein, USC Aiken
Andrea Griffin, Lander
Jessica Howard, Augusta State
Jessica Lombardi, Francis Marion
Kay Stewart, Lander
Player of the Year: Mandy Gerolstein, USC
Aiken
Freshman of the Year: Candace LaRocca, Lander
Coach of the Year: Carla Decker, Lander
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