Wolter, Johnson Headline GSC All-Conference Team

West Florida Places Five on East Division Squad

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – University of West Florida Head Volleyball Coach Melissa Wolter was named Gulf South Conference East Division Coach of the Year, while senior outside hitter Katie Johnson was named East Division Player of the Year, the Conference office announced today. Including Johnson, five Argonauts were selected to the GSC East All-Conference team, with three players earning 1st team selections.

Joining Johnson on the 1st team are senior outside hitter Chelsea Wilhoite and senior middle hitter Kara Gonzalez. Meanwhile, sophomore libero Anna Stoecklein and sophomore setter Tricia Tirabassi were named to the East Division 2nd team.

Wolter guided the Argonauts to a 25-6 record in regular season play, including a 9-1 mark in GSC competition and a fourth consecutive GSC East title. She earned her 200th career head coaching victory on September 17, a 3-0 sweep of GSC West opponent Christian Brothers. The GSC Coach of the Year award is the third of Wolter’s illustrious career.

Johnson was UWF’s driving force in her lone season as an Argo, becoming the team’s top offensive threat soon after transferring from Loyola (Ill.). The Tallahassee native won three GSC East Offensive Player of the Week awards and one Defensive Player of the Week trophy, becoming just the second Argo in history to win four GSC weekly honors in one season. She leads the team in kills, with 3.15 per game, and is second in digs, at 2.46 per game.

Wilhoite is the first three-time GSC All-Conference selection in UWF history. The Jacksonville native was honored as a 2nd team member in 2008 and a 1st team pick in 2009. This year, Wilhoite reached both the 1,000-kill and 1,000-dig plateaus, becoming just the second Argo in history to reach both milestones. She was a three-time GSC Offensive Player of the Week and was named to the All-Tournament team at the prestigious Colorado Premier Challenge in September. For the season, Wilhoite is averaging 3.07 kills per set, second-best on the team, and 2.45 digs per set, third on the Argo roster.

Gonzalez, a St. Augustine native, emerged as one of UWF’s top performers as a senior and was named GSC Offensive Player of the Week on September 21. She leads the Argonauts in hitting percentage, at .300, and blocks, with 77, including six solos. On November 2 against Spring Hill, she tallied her 277th career block, setting UWF’s all-time school record.

Tirabassi earns her second All-Conference 2nd team selection in as many seasons. The sophomore from Kenosha, Wis., leads UWF with 7.07 assists per game, and she posted a high of 56 on September 27 against Florida Southern.

Stoecklein, a sophomore from St. Charles, Mo., made an instant impact in her first year as an Argonaut. She leads the team in digs, with 3.88 per game. She was named Tournament MVP at the season-opening Comfort Inn-vitational, and she posted 20 or more digs in five matches this season. Her 26-dig effort on October 14 against Saint Leo ranks as the fifth-highest total in school history.

West Florida is the only East Division school to place five players on the All-Conference team. By virtue of their East Division title, UWF is the host institution at the 2010 GSC Tournament, which begins on Friday at the UWF Field House. The Argonauts will face Henderson State, the No. 4 seed from the GSC West, in the Quarterfinal round. Match time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

For information on all UWF Athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.