Carthel on 25th anniversary ballot

ACU assistant coach one of two ex-Lady Buffs on ballot

ABILENE -- Former West Texas A&M all-America outside hitter and current ACU assistant coach Sarah (Butler) Carthel has been nominated for the NCAA-II 25th Anniversary Volleyball Team, which will be selected by fans through the NCAA Web site.

The team is being voted on as part of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of several NCAA Women's Championships which are being celebrated during the 2005-06 athletic season.

In 1981, the NCAA began sponsoring women's championships, which opened the door to increased athletic and academic opportunities for female athletes. Today, the NCAA sponsors 44 women's championships in 20 sports, providing more than 150,000 women with an opportunity to compete for national titles each year.

As part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations, the NCAA is compiling 25th Anniversary teams in various sports, one of those being volleyball, where two former Lady Buffs, Sarah (Butler) Carthel and Ana Carolina Pereira are nominated.

Fans can log on to www.ncaasports.com and go to the volleyball page to find the ballot. Near the bottom is the special section on the Anniversary Team with the link to vote.  Once at the Volleyball Anniversary voting page, follow the instructions to vote.  Voting is open until Oct. 28, and the team will be announced Oct. 31.

After starring at Amarillo High, Carthel began volleyball career at the University of Texas in 1996 where she was the Big XII Freshman of the Year in 1996.  However, she transferred to West Texas A&M before the 1997 season and immediately became the top player in NCAA Division II.  From 1997-1999 the Lady Buffs went 98-12 with a 1997 NCAA Division II national championship.  The Lady Buffs advanced to the regional tournament in 1998 and the Elite Eight semifinals in 1999.

She was a three-time first team American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) all-America and two-time Division II National Player of the Year (1997 and 1999). Carthel also was a two-time Academic all-America honoree.  She was a three-time all-region selection and Honda Award finalist for the top NCAA Division II Female Athlete in both 1997 and 1999.

Her 2,000 kills ranks her second behind fellow 25th Anniversary Team nominee Carol Pereira.  Carthel is ranked second, third, and fifth in the school records for kills in a season.

Carthel holds the top three WT marks for kills in a match with 41, 40, and 39 kills, and is first and second in kill attempts with 92 and 86.  She holds four all-time Lone Star Conference records and is ranked in the Top 20 of NCAA Division II career marks in six different categories.

After graduating from West Texas A&M in 2000, Carthel was a graduate assistant at Metropolitan State University in Denver while playing for the United States National Team.  She has played professionally for the St. Louis Quest in the United States Professional Volleyball League, and currently plays in a professional league in Puerto Rico in the offseason.

Carthel currently is an assistant volleyball coach at ACU and is married to ACU assistant football coach, Colby, the son of WTAMU head football coach Don Carthel.