Full All-Conference Team
PALATINE, Ill. – The North Central Community College Conference (N4C) is known as one of the premier two-year college volleyball conferences in the country. That's why it's an impressive feat that four Harper College volleyball players were honored as All-Conference players for a Hawks team that went 9-3 in league play. Libero Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill./Buffalo Grove) and middle hitters Sarah Berggren (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and Daniele Sortino (Elk Grove Village, Ill. /Elk Grove) were voted First Team All-Conference, while first-year setter Katelyn Sommers (/Buffalo Grove) received Second Team All-Conference distinction.
"It is a pretty impressive feat for Harper to have been awarded four of the 12 All-Conference spots, including three of the top six First Team All-Conference spots," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "This shows the level of respect the other coaches had for Harper's players. Unfortunately for us, three of those four players are sophomores and will not be back next year."
Chartier was the defensive anchor for a Harper program that won 34 matches in 2015 and 66 matches in the last two years. She collected 809 digs (first in nation) in a nation-high 167 sets (4.84 digs/set, 19th in nation). The second-year player also played a big part in an improved Hawks service game, going 620-of-662 (93.7 percent) with 47 aces. Chartier was also a First Team All-Conference player in 2014.
In conference play, Chartier had 242 digs (5.76 digs/set) and was 179-of-190 serving (94 percent) with 15 aces (first on team).
"Meghan continues to garner award after award and a significant amount of recognition. She hustles on every point no matter the score in every match," Vilsoet said. "She was well-trained and executes on a very high level. As you would expect from a libero, she was tops on our team for receiving, and she served the most serves on our team this year, which is a very meaningful statistic."
Berggren, a three-time All-Tournament selection in 2015 (Harper College Invitational, Harper College Invite, and Lincoln Land Invitational), smashed 393 kills (ninth in nation) in 166 sets (2.37 kills/set), up from 160 kills in 131 sets in 2014. The sophomore collected 10 or more kills in 15 matches and was also a difference maker on defense with a team-high 78 blocks. She also capitalized on her serves, going 188-of-200 with 21 aces. Whenever the Hawks needed a clutch point in a match, Beggren was at her best.
In conference player, she had 92 kills on 215 attacks and had a 32.6 percent hitting efficiency. She also led Harper with 20.5 blocks and was 41-of-43 serving (95 percent)
"Sarah was very effective this year in conference play. She quite likely is our most improved player," Vilsoet said. "She worked hard over the offseason to improve this much by practicing and coaching. This is truly a story of good things happen to good people that are driven to work hard."
Sortino increased her kills from 309 kills in 2014 to 395 kills in 2015 to lead the team in that category. In addition to being recognized at the conference level, the sophomore earned NJCAA Division III National Player of the Week honors early in the season. She was also a Second Team All-Conference selection in 2014.
In conference play, Sortino led Harper with 109 kills on 243 attacks and led Harper with a 35.4 percent hitting efficiency. With respect to serving, she was 84-of-87 (97 percent) and had six aces.
"Daniele has come a long way over the years from playing Sky High club volleyball in high school to being one of the top middle hitters in the country," Vilsoet said. "She can hit from multiple locations up front and has a very strong serve. Because she likes to play beach volleyball, she is very effective on defense as well."
Sommers had a magnificent first year as the primary setter for the Hawks. She totaled 1,496 assists (second in nation), the second-highest number of assists for a setter in Harper Hawks history. Only Megan Maize had more assists in one year than Sommers did. In addition, Sommers had 554 digs (3.53 digs/set), which is the most digs of any setter in the NJCAA. Overall, she had 31 double-doubles (10 or more assists and 10 or more digs) in 47 matches.
In conference play, she had 373 assists (9.56 assists/set) and 136 digs (3.49 digs/set). Sommers was 157-of-162 serving (98 percent) in league play with 14 aces.
"Katelyn is one of the smartest setters there is. It's like on every play there's a Cray computer going on in her brain figuring out what to do with the ball on her set to maximize our odds for winning a point," Vilsoet said. "She is amazing at giving the hitters something to hit every time."
