Salata Named All-ACC, Hopper Earns All-ACC Freshman Honors - NC State University Official Athletic Site

Salata Named All-ACC, Hopper Earns All-ACC Freshman Honors NC State middle blocker Margaret Salata is NC State's first All-ACC selection since 1998 and freshman outside hitter Dariyan Hopper is the first Wolfpack player to earn All-ACC freshman honors since 2003.

Freshman Dariyan Hopper

Nov. 23, 2011

NC State Hosts North Carolina in Season Finale

RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State senior middle blocker Margaret Salata of Buffalo Grove, Ill., became the first Wolfpack player in six seasons to earn All-ACC honors when the league announced its annual awards on Wednesday.

Freshman outside hitter Dariyan Hopper of Minooka, Ill., was also named to the All-ACC Freshman team, the first Wolfpack player since Julia Reis in 2003 to earn a spot on the league’s list of top newcomers.

Salata has been a starter for four seasons with the Wolfpack and has had the best season of her career as a senior, recording a career-high 155 total blocks, the second most in a single season in school history. She also has 399 total blocks in her career, which ranks sixth in school history.

Salata’s 1.32 blocks per set ranks third in the ACC and 26^th in the nation and her hitting percentage of .351 ranks fifth in the ACC and 42^th in the nation. She also ranks in the ACC’s top 10 in kills per set with 3.15.

"Margaret has done a great job for us all season," said second-year head coach Bryan Bunn. "She has worked so hard in the last year and a half and made volleyball a priority in her life. All the hard work and dedication has really paid off for her.

"I'm really happy for Marge and she will be sorely missed next season."

The last Wolfpack player to earn All-ACC honors was Stefani Eddins, who was a first-team selection in 2005.

Hopper came on strong in the second half of the season, recording double-digit kill totals in 10 of the Wolfpack’s last 14 matches. She is tied for fourth on the team with 233 kills this season and has a .190 hitting average. Her 2.51 kills per set is third behind Salata (3.15) and fellow freshman Nicole Glass (2.53).

"Dariyan really came on strong during conference play and carried a heavy load for us," Bunn said. "She's just beginning to scratch the surface of what she is capable of doing for Pack volleyball. We're excited about what hard work and the next three years will do for her."

Salata and Hopper have been key components in the Wolfpack’s first winning season since 1996. Heading into today’s regular-season finale against North Carolina, the squad has already set school records for ACC wins and ACC road wins. It had a school-record 13-match winning streak earlier this season and a school- and ACC-record streak of six consecutive five-set matches.

The Wolfpack (20-12 overall, 8-11 ACC) plays its final regular-season contest today at 1 p.m. at Reynolds Coliseum against North Carolina. The match will be streamed live at www.GoPack.com/allaccess.

2011 ACC Volleyball Awards

Individual Awards
Player                               Lane Carico, Miami
Defensive Player                Ali McCurdy, Duke
Freshman                         Cameron Van Noy, North Carolina
Coach                              Chris Poole, Florida State

2011 All-ACC Volleyball Team
Alexa Rand                              Jr.          MH            Clemson
Sandra Adeleye                        Jr.          MH            Clemson
Serenat Yaz                             Jr.          OH            Clemson
Ali McCurdy                              So.         DS/L          Duke
Christiana Gray                        Jr.           MB            Duke
Kellie Catanach                        Sr.          S              Duke
Ashley Neff                              So.         MB            Florida State
Jekaterina Stepanova                Sr.         OH            Florida State
Visnja Djurdjevic                       Sr.          OH           Florida State
Monique Mead                          Jr.          RS            Georgia Tech
Ali Becker                                Sr.          MB            Miami
Katie Gallagher                        Sr.          S               Miami
Lane Carico                             Sr.          OH             Miami
Margaret Salata                             Sr.              MB                 NC State
Chaniel Nelson                        Fr.           OPP           North Carolina
Emily McGee                            Jr.           OH            North Carolina
Kaylie Gibson                           Sr.          L               North Carolina
Cara Baarendse                       Jr.           MB            Virginia Tech
Andrea Beck                            Jr.           MB            Wake Forest

2011 All-Freshman   ACC Volleyball Team
Jeme Obeime                         OH          Duke
Sarah Wickstrom                     S             Florida State
Adreene Elliott                        MB           Maryland
Dariyan Hopper                             OH              NC State
Cameron Van Noy                   MB           North Carolina
Danae Rosendall                     S            Wake Forest

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