December 14, 1998

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Eleven ACC volleyball players were named to the AVCA Division I All-District III Team, as announced Monday. ACC Tournament finalists North Carolina and Florida State led the way with three selections, while Clemson, Florida State and Virginia each placed two players on the team.

ACC Champion Florida State was represented by seniors Fiona Bolten and Holly Schneider and junior Aisha Thornton. It is the second straight year that Bolten, a 5-9 setter from Tampa, Florida, has garnered all-district honors. Bolten, who was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team selection and the ACC Tournament MVP, led the team and the conference in assists at 14.18 per game and earned the ACC Player of the Week honors in November. Her 1,744 assists this season set a new FSU single-season record while her 2,979 career assists in just two seasons at Florida State ranks her second all-time.

Schneider, a 5-10 outside hitter, was pegged an All-ACC Second Team selection. The Ft. Wayne, Indiana, native, who did not miss a match in her four-year career, had a team-high 20 double-doubles this season while leading the squad in digs (421) and service aces (44). A member of the ACC All-Tournament Team, Schneider leaves FSU ranking second all time in digs (1,426) and kill attempts (4,615) and third in kills (1,704).

All-ACC First Teamer Aisha Thornton, a 6-2 middle hitter from Country Club Hills, Illinois, led the team and the ACC in hitting this season with a .352 average. Thornton, who led the team in blocking with 134 total blocks, earned all-tournament team honors in three tournaments and was twice named the ACC co-Player of the Week this season.

The honors mark the first time since the 1992 season that three Florida State players have earned AVCA honors in the same season. That year, Bianca Stevens, Luiza Ramos and current FSU Assistant Coach Sherry (Cowling) Clouet garnered AVCA All-Region honors.

The complete team is as follows:

     Erin Berg         North Carolina    Setter
     Ajola Berisha     American          MB/OH
     Fiona Bolten      Florida State     Setter
     Alison Coday      Clemson           OH
     Claire Folga      Virginia          OH
     Carla Gartner     Georgia Tech      Right Side
     Jessica Parsons   Virginia          MB
     Holly Schneider   Florida State     OH
     Tori Seibert      North Carolina    MB
     Shannon Smith     North Carolina    MB
     Jodi Steffes      Clemson           Right Side
     Aisha Thornton    Florida State     MB