Volleyball Receives 10 SSAC Awards

The Columbia College volleyball team received 10 awards from the Southern States Athletic Conference recognizing excellence on and off the court. 

The Fighting Koalas proved their excellence on the court in two ways this season.  First, Columbia College was honored as the co-recipient with Lee University for the Musco Lighting Sportsmanship Team Award.  The team sportsmanship award is voted on the by the conference coaches for teams exhibiting good sportsmanship throughout the season.  For on the court performances, freshmen Tara Prater and Aarika Munro were honored to the All-Conference 1st Team.  Jennifer Monroe, Liz Richardson, and Erica Allman were named to the All-Conference 2nd Team. 

Sophomore Ashley Hasty represented Columbia College as the recipient of the Musco Lighting Champion of Character Award along with being named to the All-Academic Team.  Joining her on the All-Academic team was fellow sophomore Liz Richardson.  The All-Academic Team requires sophomore standing while maintaining 3.25 GPA or higher. 

The Columbia College volleyball program was also honored with two yearly awards given by the SSAC.  Freshman Tara Prater was honored as the SSAC Freshman of the Year.  Prater marked a strong season, ranking 2nd in kills per set and aces per set in conference play.  She led the Koalas in both categories, recording 376 kills and 58 aces on the season.  Head coach Brian Solomon was also recognized as the SSAC Coach of the Year.  The Koalas had their best campaign in school history at 24-9, 8-4, a marked improvement from 16-20, 4-12 in 2008.  The Koalas' success came this year with a notably young team, including two upper classmen and twelve underclassmen.