Volleyball Voices

NCAA Women's College Volleyball Players Honors and Awards III

Baylor Volleyball's Breyfogle Named Big 12 Defensive MVP

Bears also earn two first-team selections and one all-freshman team selection

 

IRVING, Texas – Senior middle blocker Anna Breyfogle was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year on Monday by league officials. Breyfogle becomes the first to earn the award in school history, and only the second from Baylor to win an individual award in Big 12 history.

 

Breyfogle was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team along with fellow senior Taylor Barnes. Freshman Torri Campbell received recognition for her outstanding season, earning a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

 

Breyfogle put together another spectacular season at the net, leading the Big 12 in blocking for the second year in a row. Breyfogle averages 1.39 blocks per set and has racked up 149 blocks on the season, 18 more than any other player in the Big 12. In addition, she is currently on a streak of 89 consecutive matches recording at least one block, dating back to the end of her freshman season in 2006. Over her career, Breyfogle has recorded at least one block in 114 of 116 career matches. This season, Breyfogle broke the Baylor rally-era record for career blocks and became just the second player in program history with more than 1,000 kills and 600 blocks.

 

Barnes, one of the most offensive-minded setters in the Big 12, earned her first all-Big 12 honor. A stat-stuffer, Barnes led the Bears and ranked sixth in the league with 10.69 assists per set, while also ranking second in the league in service aces per set with 0.39. She also led the team in hitting percentage at .331 and ranks third on the team with 2.38 digs per set. This season, Barnes broke the BU and Big 12 record for career service aces, while also breaking the Baylor record for career assists and becoming the first player in program history to top 5,000 for her career.

 

Campbell, a freshman who entered Baylor as one of the most highly-touted recruits in program history, helped pace Baylor’s offense and defense. Campbell was fourth on the team with 225 kills and third on the team with a .259 hitting percentage. She ranks behind only Breyfogle on the Baylor squad with 0.98 blocks per set. Campbell had 10 or more kills in a match 10 times, while also recording at least one block in all 31 matches.

 

Texas’ Destinee Hooker was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, while Iowa State’s Ashley Mass earned Big 12 Libero of the Year honors. Missouri’s Paola Ampudia was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, and Nebraska’s Hannah Werth was selected as the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.

 

Baylor (22-9) is making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2001, traveling to Los Angeles, Calif., for the first and second rounds hosted by UCLA. The Bears will play Georgia Tech in the first round at 5:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 4 at Pauley Pavilion.

 

 Bullock Named To All-SEC Freshmen Team

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn freshman Sarah Bullock was honored by the
Southeastern Conference as she was named to the All-SEC Freshman team,
the league announced Monday.

“I’m very proud of Sarah and the growth she has made this year,”
Wade Benson, head volleyball coach, said. “She has many more awards
ahead of her with continued focus in the future.”

Bullock, an Allen, Texas, native, finished her first season with Auburn
as the team’s go-to attacker, finishing with a team-high 296 kills and
889 attempts. She finished with a .181 attack percentage and had a
team-best 11 solo blocks. Her 275 total digs and 2.43 digs per set
average were second-best on the team.

Against SEC opponents, Bullock led the Tigers with 216 kills and
recorded a .175 attack percentage.

Bullock tallied eight double-doubles on the year and had 16 matches in
double-digit kills. She set a career-high in kills at Arkansas with 21
kills and a career-best in digs with 14 against George Washington.

Bullock earned two SEC Freshman of the Week honors this season. Her
first came on Oct. 27 after Bullock led Auburn to two three-set sweeps
over Mississippi State and Alabama at home. Her second honor came on
Nov. 23 when she led the Tigers offensively with 35 total kills and a
.310 attack percentage, including her 21-kill, 12-dig performance
against Arkansas

The Auburn volleyball team closed out the 2009 season with its best
finish in 10 years, having a 16-15 overall mark and 8-12 in the SEC. The
Tigers finished second in the SEC West and tied for fifth overall in the
conference.

2009 SEC POSTSEASON VOLLEYBALL HONORS

Player of the Year: Brittnee Cooper, LSU
Libero of the Year: Chloe Goldman, Tennessee
Freshman of the Year: Jasmine Norton, Arkansas
Scholar Athlete of the Year: Sarah Cline, South Carolina
Coach of the Year: Fran Flory, LSU

First Team All-SEC
Kristy Jaeckel, Florida
Kelly Murphy, Florida
Sarah Mendoza, Kentucky
Sarah Rumely, Kentucky
Brittnee Cooper, LSU
Samantha Dabbs, LSU
Marina Skender, LSU
Nikki Fowler, Tennessee
Chloe Goldman, Tennessee

Second Team All-SEC
Alyssa Meuth, Alabama
Jasmine Norton, Arkansas
Elyse Cusack, Florida
Colleen Ward, Florida
Valentina Gonzalez, Georgia
Lauren Rapp, Kentucky
BriAnne Sauer, Kentucky
Kayla Jeter, Tennessee
Farren Powe, Tennessee

All-Freshmen Team
Amanda Anderson, Arkansas
Jasmine Norton, Arkansas
Sarah Bullock, Auburn
Briana Bahr, Georgia
Stephanie Klefot, Kentucky
Whitney Craven, Ole Miss
Leslie Cikra, Tennessee

Four Garner All-Conference Mention

 

Whitney Dosty, Jacy Norton, Tiffany Owens and Paige Weber named to All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention Team

 

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Four Arizona volleyball student-athletes were named to the 2009 All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention team, announced today by Commissioner Larry Scott.  Whitney Dosty, Jacy Norton, Tiffany Owens and Paige Weber were lauded for their performance over the season.

 

Dosty, a 6’3 hitter from Tucson, Ariz., finished the regular season with a kill per set ratio of 2.95.  In 85 total sets played, Dosty had 251 kills and 46 total blocks.  She was second on the team in kills and third in blocks.

 

Norton, a senior middle blocker, led Arizona with 100 total blocks with 29 of them coming as solo rejections and 71 as block assists.  The Louisville, Ky. native also led the team in hitting percentage at .281 with a minimum of 300 attempts.

 

Weber, the Wildcat captain and setter, started all 106 sets played, tallying 1138 total assists for a ratio of 10.74.  Weber also led Arizona with 30 service aces while chipping in defensively with 215 digs and 44 total blocks.

 

Owens led Arizona in kills with 396 while also starting all 106 sets played. The San Bernardino, Calif. native also was second on the team with 335 digs for a ratio of 3.16 digs per set.

 

Arizona received an at-large NCAA Tournament bid on Sunday to return to the postseason for the first time since 2005.  The team finished the regular season with an overall record of 19-10 and 8-10 in conference.

 

The Wildcats face Texas A&M in the first round of play at 5 p.m. CT on Friday in Baton Rouge, La.

 

 

2009 ALL-PAC-10 WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM

PLAYER,                    TEAM                        POS.    HT.      YR.      HOMETOWN

Kindra Carlson,            WASH                         OH      6-1       Jr.        Eaton, Colo.

Hana Cutura,                CAL***                      OH      6-3       Sr.        Zagreb, Croatia

Neticia Enesi,               ORE**                        MB      6-1       Sr.        The Dalles, Ore.

Amanda Gil,                 UCLA                          MB      6-6       So.       San Jose, Calif.

Jessica Gysin,               USC**                        OH      6-1       Sr.        Los Gatos, Calif.

Jenna Hagglund,           WASH                         S          5-9       Jr.        West Chester, Ohio

Alex Jupiter,                 USC                            OH      6-3       So.       Hermosa Beach, Calif.

Alix Klineman,             STAN***                    OH      6-4       Jr.        Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Cassidy Lichtman,        STAN                          OH      6-1       Jr.        Poway, Calif.

Tamari Miyashiro,         WASH***                   L          5-7       Sr.        Honolulu, Hawaii

Sonja Newcombe,        ORE**                        OH      6-1       Sr.        Lake Arrowhead, Calif.

Janet Okogbaa,            STAN                          MB      6-         Sr.        Tampa, Fla.

Rachel Rourke,             OSU**                        OH      6-5       Sr.        Aroona, Queensland, Australia

Kaitlin Sather,               UCLA                          OH      6-1       Sr.        Santa Rosa, Calif.

** two-time selection, *** three-time selection

 

 

Honorable Mention: Gabi Ailes, STAN; Kendall Bateman, USC; Reneé Bordeleon, WSU; Lauren Cook, UCLA; Nevena Djordjevic, ORE;Whitney Dosty, ARIZ: Lainey Gera, UCLA; Carli Lloyd, CAL; Dicey McGraw, UCLA; Heather Meyers, ORE; Tarah Murrey, CAL; Jacy Norton, ARIZ; Tiffany Owens, ARIZ; Sarah Reeves, ASU; Cassie Robbins, WSU; Bianca Rowland, WASH; Airial Salvo, WASH; Paige Weber, ARIZ; Mindi Wiley, CAL.

 

 Alabama’s Alyssa Meuth Selected to All-SEC Volleyball Second Team

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama junior Alyssa Meuth was named to the All-Southeastern Conference Volleyball Second Team which was announced by the league office on Monday. This is the first postseason award for Meuth and seventh in the past five years for the Crimson Tide.

 

“We are all very proud of Alyssa earning this honor,” said head Coach Judy Green. “She had a tremendous year and certainly had the stats to be on this prestigious team.”

 

Meuth finished the 2009 season as Alabama’s leader in kills with an average of 3.22 per set overall and 3.53 against SEC opponents ranking her sixth in the league. In addition, her .326 hitting percentage versus league foes is fifth-best in the conference. Meuth, who started in all 28 matches she played in, also tacked on 106 digs, 40 total blocks, 19 service aces and eight assists on the season.

 

Meuth was the Tide’s leader in kills on 17 occasions this season and collected double-digit kills a total of 23 times. Her season, and career, best came twice in 2009 as the Helotes, Texas native collected 18 kills against Jacksonville State on Sept. 5 and again on Sept. 25 versus South Carolina. Meuth also set new career highs in several other categories this season including service aces (four), digs (nine) and blocks (five).

 

Most recently, Meuth was named to the SEC’s Volleyball Community Service Team and was also a member of the Bama Bash All-Tournament Team earlier this season.

 

Volleyball Places Three on SEC First Team; Cooper and Flory SEC Player and Coach of the Year

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Brittnee Cooper, Sam Dabbs and Marina Skender notched All-SEC First-Team accolades Monday as announced by the league office. Cooper also became the first LSU player to pick up SEC Player of the Year, while Fran Flory was selected SEC Coach of the Year.

LSU (24-6, 18-2 SEC) paced the conference with three All-SEC First-Team selections as the Tigers won their first SEC regular season title since 1991.

Cooper paced the SEC with a .390 hitting percentage and recorded over a .400 clip in 17 matches. Her 3.44 kills per set ranked seventh in the SEC as the Houston, Texas product connected for double-digit kills on 21 occasions. She also headlined the SEC with 1.32 blocks per set and tallied five or more blocks 13 times.

Cooper became the first player in SEC history to pick up the SEC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards on consecutive weeks earlier this season. She also earned CVU National Player of the Week on Nov. 3.

Dabbs dished out 1,067 assists at a 11.23 per set ratio, good enough for second in the SEC. She set the Tigers to over a .300 hitting percentage on 13 occasions and racked up 10 double-doubles. The San Antonio, Texas native eclipsed 40 or more assists 12 times, including a career-best 56 assists against Tennessee.

Dabbs earned AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 13 after distributing 49 assists in LSU’s 3-0 sweep of Florida. She added seven or more kills on eight occasions and finished the season with 119 spikes on a .384 hitting percentage. 

Skender ripped double-digit kills in 26 matches, including 23 of her last 25 outings highlighted by a streak of 13 straight matches from Sept. 5-Oct. 16. She also racked up a team-best 13 double-doubles and her 3.90 spikes per set in SEC matches ranked fourth. The Croatia native provided 0.27 aces per set which ranked sixth in the SEC.

She knocked a season-best 20 kills to go along with 15 digs during LSU’s historic win at Florida. She also powered home 19 kills in matches against Kentucky and Tennessee. 

LSU plays host to the NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds this weekend at the Maravich Center. The Tigers earned a No. 15 national seed and square off against Tulane Friday in the opening round. First serve is slated for approximately 7:30 p.m. with live stats available on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow in-match updates of the 2009 SEC champions via www.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.

All-session ticket books, which include both first round games and the second round contest, are available for $12 for reserved seats. General admission ticket books are $10 for adults, $6 for students, $6 for seniors and $4 for youth.

Hooker earns Big 12 record 13

^th Player of the Week award 

The 2009 Big 12 Player of the Year claims her conference record 13^thcareer Big 12 Player of the Week honor.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker has been named Big 12 Player of the Week for a conference record 13^th time after leading the second-ranked Longhorns to sweeps of Oklahoma and Kansas last week. The award was the sixth of the season for Hooker, setting a Big 12 record for most in a season.

 

Hooker anchored No. 2 Texas’ attack last week, connecting for 6.00 points and 5.33 kill per-set, while hitting at a red-hot .500 clip and committing just three attack errors on 58 swings. She added 1.83 digs and 0.67 blocks per-set to her stat line, while chipping in a pair of service aces.

 

In Texas’ sweep at Oklahoma, Hooker registered a match-high 18 kills on 35 swings, committing just one attack error and hitting .486. The senior added seven digs and three total blocks in the tough road rivalry.

 

Hooker headlined the UT attack again on senior night at Gregory Gymnasium. The All-American hammered out a match-best 14 kills on 23 swings, while hitting .522 and making just two hitting errors. She added two services aces, four digs and one block to her standout effort.

 

The Big 12 Player of the Year and her Texas teammates return to action on Thursday, Dec. 3 when they play host to Texas State in the NCAA First Round. First serve is set for 6 p.m. Central or 30 minutes following the opening round match between TCU and Rice.

 

 

 

NCAA Women's College Volleyball Players Honors and Awards

Johnson named to State Farm MVC All-Tournament Team

Alicia Johnson led the Salukis with 14 kills and 15 digs.

www.SIUSalukis.com

OMAHA, Neb. - Southern Illinois right side Alicia Johnson was named to the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team following the completion of the three-day tournament hosted by Creighton.

The junior led the Salukis with 14 kills, 15 digs, five block assists and two service aces in a four-set match with Wichita State Thursday night in the opening round of the tournament at D.J. Sokol Arena.

Earlier in the week, Johnson was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and was the Most Valuable Player of the Saluki Invitational in September. This season, her first as a Saluki, she averaged 2.54 kills, 2.82 digs and 0.53 blocks per set. She ranked third in the tournament statistics in kills per set (3.50) and second in points per set (4.62).

2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team
Alicia Johnson, Southern Illinois
Emily Heffernen, Drake
Calli Norman, Missouri State
Jessica Houts, Creighton
Emily Stockman, Wichita State
Mary Elizabeth Hooper, Wichita State
Beth Discher, Northern Iowa
Ellie Blankenship, Northern Iowa
Bre Payton, Northern Iowa (MVP) 

Haverly Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week ... Again

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.- Jordan Haverly garnered her third Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on Monday after leading the Hoosiers to road wins over Wisconsin and Iowa this past weekend. 

On Friday against the Badgers, she put down 22 kills on .333 hitting with seven digs, three total blocks, two assists and an ace in a five-set win. The following night at Iowa, she contributed 19 kills at a .531 clip with six digs and three assists in the 3-0 sweep. For the weekend, Haverly averaged 5.1 kills on .410 hitting with 1.6 digs per set 

In the process, she demolished the previous school record for most kills by a freshman, bolting past 2008 Honorable Mention All-American Erica Short with 446 put-aways this season. Short had owned the record since '05, when she tallied 398 kills in her first year as a Hoosier.

Mountain West Conference Announces 

Volleyball Player of the Week - Nov. 30

 

TCU’S CHRISTY HUDSON NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE 

VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – TCU right side hitter Christy Hudson has been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the first time in her career.

                                             

Hudson, a 6-2 junior from Yorba Linda, Calif., led the Horned Frogs to four-set wins over Long Beach State and UC Irvine at the Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament in Long Beach, Calif. over the weekend. Against the 49ers, she knocked down 16 kills for a .517 hitting percentage (one error), while collecting four digs and three total blocks. Against the Anteaters, Hudson tallied 12 kills, while collecting one total block, one assist and one ace.

 

On the week, Hudson averaged 3.50 kills, 0.50 blocks, 0.50 digs and 3.88 points per set, while hitting .377 (28-5-61).

 

 

MWC Volleyball Players of the Week:

Aug. 31                 Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Sept. 7                   Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Sept. 14                 Nichole Stillwell, Jr., MH/MB, Air Force

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Sept. 21                 Kayla Walker, Sr., RS, BYU

Sept. 28                 Cursty Jackson, So., MB, UNLV

                                Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Oct. 5                     Ashley Rhoades, So., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Oct. 12                   Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Oct. 19                   Kyley Sexton, So., OH, San Diego State

Oct. 26                   Megan Munce, So., S, TCU

Nov. 2                   Anna Lehne, Sr., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Nov. 9                   Anna Lehne, Sr., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Nov. 16                 Danielle Minch, Jr., OH, Colorado State

Nov. 23                 Andrea Hannasch, Fr., OH, San Diego State

Nov. 30                 Christy Hudson, Jr., RS, TCU

 

 Rourke and Eneliko Earn Pac-10 Volleyball Honors

 

Walnut Creek, Calif. – Senior Rachel Rourke (Queensland, Australia) and freshman Ashley Eneliko (Seattle, Wash.) were named to All-Pac-10 Teams, announced Monday by Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott.

 

Rourke, a two-time All-Pac-10 selection, finished her career with 1,920 kills, easily breaking the school record set in 1994 by Shelly Smith. Her 531 kills this season ranks fourth all-time, and she holds the single season record for kills per set (4.83) and points per set (5.47). She also holds the career record for kills per set, averaging 4.52. She was an All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention selection as a sophomore and an All-Pac-10 Freshman Team honoree in 2006.

 

Eneliko earns Pac-10 All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention status after racking up 66 blocks on the season in limited playing time, playing in 66 of the team’s 110 sets, starting 12 matches. Eneliko added 41 kills, three assists and 14 digs.

 

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 Duke Volleyball Team’s Rachael Moss 

Named ACC Volleyball Player of the Week

 

November 30, 2009

 

DURHAM, N.C. - After a week in which she was named First Team Academic All-America and led Duke to a 3-1 win over Wake Forest in her final home match in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke senior Rachael Moss was named ACC Volleyball Player of the Week for the third time this season, the ACC announced on Monday.

 

Moss, a 5-10 senior from Cypress, Calif. (Los Alamitos), earned her second Academic All-America citation on Monday, Nov. 23, and one day later went off for 21 kills, 13 digs and a career-high five blocks in a 3-1 win over Wake Forest in the final home match of her career. The effort vaulted Moss into third place on Duke's all-time kills list, putting her just 26 kills away from becoming the third Duke player in school history to reach 1,700 career kills.

 

Moss also became the first Blue Devil in school history to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team honors. A Second Team Academic All-America as a junior, Moss boasts a 3.94 grade point average as a Political Science major and Theater minor.

 

A three-time All-ACC and three-time AVCA All-America Honorable Mention choice, Moss becomes the ACC's first three-time Player of the Week this season. Behind her three selections and another from sophomore setter Kellie Catanach, the Blue Devils had the most players named Player of the Week in the ACC this season.

 

Along with ranking third at Duke with 1,674 career kills, Moss also ranks fourth with 1,544 career digs and 167 career service aces. She leads Duke with 13 double-doubles heading into the NCAA Tournament where she and the Blue Devils will face host Tennessee in the opening round on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn.

 

-d-u-k-e-

 

No. 2 Texas Women's Volleyball lands three on All-Big 12 squad, 

Destinee Hooker Named Player of the Year 

Senior Destinee Hooker earns Big 12 Player of the Year honors, while Ashley Engle and Juliann Faucette garner All-Big 12 First Team accolades.

 

IRVING, Texas – The second-ranked Texas Volleyball team earned a total of five Big 12 Conference awards, including three All-Big 12 First Team honors, Big 12 Player of the Year honors and one all-freshman team selection, the conference announced Monday.

 

Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker has been unanimously selected the Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Year, becoming the first Longhorn in five years to receive the honor and third overall. Texas (24-1, 19-1 Big 12) landed Hooker, senior setter/opposite hitter Ashley Engle and junior outside/opposite hitter Juliann Faucette on the All-Big 12 First Team, while outside hitter Bailey Webster was named to the all-freshman team. Engle and Hooker were the only four-time All-Big 12 honorees on the 2009 squad and Faucette was the only three-year honoree.

 

The All-Big 12 awards are chosen by the league’s head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players.

 

Baylor’s Anna Breyfogle earned defensive player of the year honors, while Nebraska’s Hannah Werth won freshman of the year. Missouri’s Paola Ampudia took home newcomer of the year honors. Iowa State's Ashley Mass was voted libero of the year and Cyclones’ head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch took home coach of the year honors.

 

Hooker led the Longhorns to their first outright Big 12 title since 1997. In 2009, the San Antonio, Texas, native paced the league in points (6.02), kills (5.00) and service aces (0.47) per-set in Big 12 matches. She also finished second in hitting percentage, posting a .355 mark against league opponents. The three-time All-American received Big 12 Player of the Week recognition five times this year to bring her career total to 12.

 

Engle, a two-time AVCA All-American, has split time between setter and opposite hitter in 2009. The Yorba Linda, Calif., native has led Texas to a .335 hitting percentage, the second-best mark in the NCAA. She ranks second in the Big 12 in conference play with a .333 attack mark and has averaged 1.71 kills, 9.25 assists, 1.82 digs and 0.64 blocks per-set in 2009.

 

Faucette, the 2007 AVCA National Freshman of the Year, ranks second on the Texas squad with 3.25 kills per-set and has added 1.71 digs and 60 total blocks in her junior season. The San Diego, Calif., native has produced three kill/dig double-doubles on the year. On the season, she ranks ninth in the league in kills per-set and ranks seventh in points per-set (3.75).

 

Webster, the Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year, saw limited action in her inaugural campaign, but still managed to earn a spot on the all-freshman squad. The Baltimore, Md., native hit .287 in Big 12 play, while connecting for 1.00 kill and 0.65 blocks per-set in league action.

 

Head coach Jerritt Elliott and his second-ranked Texas volleyball team return to action on Thursday, Dec. 3 when they host first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gymnasium. UT will face Texas State in the first round on Thursday at 6 p.m. immediately following the TCU/Rice first-round match at 4:30 p.m. Winners of the first-round matches will meet on Friday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. for the right to advance to the NCAA Omaha Regional next weekend.

 

 

OREGON’S NEWCOMBE NAMED PAC-10 VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Commissioner Larry Scott announced today that OREGON senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe has been named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for Nov. 23-29.

A native of Lake Arrowhead, Calif., Newcombe led the 18th-ranked Ducks to their first Pac-10 road sweep of the season, including a 3-2 come-from-behind upset over No. 4 WASHINGTON that ended a 17-match losing streak against the Huskies. Against the Huskies, Newcombe set career-highs in kills (36) and points (36.5). Her previous high in kills was 29. The 36 kills ties for the most by a Pac-10 player this season, while the 36.5 points is the third best total. She hit .382 against the Pac-10’s top defense and registered 21 digs.

In Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over WASHINGTON STATE, Newcombe tallied her 47th career double-double with 17 kills and 12 digs. She also had a season-high five blocks. For the season, she has 13 double-doubles with 12 coming in Conference play.

For the weekend, Newcombe posted 53 kills (5.89 kps), 33 digs (3.67), six blocks and 56.5 points (6.28 pps) while hitting .308. 

Newcombe ranks fourth in the Pac-10 in kills per set (4.34) and fifth in points (504.0) and points per set (4.89).

This is the fourth weekly honor, second of the season (10/19), for Newcombe, and Oregon’s 15th all-time Player of the Week.

Also Nominated: Alix Klineman, STAN; Lainey Gera, UCLA; Alex Jupiter, USC

2009 PAC-10 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Aug. 31 - Tiffany Owens, ARIZ; Sept. 8 - Renee Bordelon, WSU; Sept. 14 - Lauren Cook, UCLA*; Sept. 21 - Rachel Rourke, OSU; Sept. 28 - Tamari Miyashiro, WASH; Oct. 5 -Alix Klineman, STAN*; Oct. 12 - Janet Okogbaa, STAN; Oct. 19 - Sonja Newcombe, ORE*; Oct. 26 - Hana Cutura, CAL*; Nov. 2 - Kaitlin Sather, UCLA; Nov. 9 - Hana Cutura, CAL; Nov. 16 - Lauren Williams, USC; Nov. 23 - Kendall Bateman, USC; Nov. 30 - Sonja Newcombe, ORE

• - AVCA National Player of the Week

Hudson Tabbed MWC Player of the Week

Honor is seventh of the season for TCU

FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU junior right-side hitter Christy Hudson has been named MWC Player of the Week for her performance in the Mizuno Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Long Beach State. The honor is the first of her career and the seventh overall for TCU this season.

Hudson, a 6-2 junior from Yorba Linda, Calif., led the Horned Frogs to four-set wins over Long Beach State and UC Irvine at the Mizuno Thanksgiving Classic in Long Beach, Calif. over the weekend.

Against the 49ers, she knocked down 16 kills for a .517 hitting percentage (one error), while collecting four digs and three total blocks. Against the Anteaters, Hudson tallied 12 kills, while collecting one total block, one assist and one ace.

On the week, Hudson averaged 3.50 kills, 0.50 blocks, 0.50 digs and 3.88 points per set, while hitting .377 (28-5-61).

Kourtney Edwards has earned MWC honors five times (Sept. 8, Sept. 14, Oct. 5, Nov. 2 and Nov. 9), while Megan Munce garnered honors on Oct. 26.

All-Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Teams Jennifer Berwanger Named To First Team, Rachael Brown All-Freshman Honors

Jennifer Berwanger was named to the first team, while Rachael Brown earned All-Freshman honors.

Nov. 26, 2009

www.SIUSalukis.com

OMAHA, Neb. - The 2009 All-Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball teams have been announced with regular-season Valley champion UNI claiming four spots on the first team. League runners-up Missouri State and Wichita State tallied three spots each on the all-conference first team, while Creighton, Illinois State and Southern Illinois each earned one spot apiece. All-conference second team selections and the all-freshman team were also announced. Players received recognition at the pre-tournament banquet held Thursday, Nov. 26, in Omaha, Neb.

All-conference honors are voted on by the league's coaches.

Southern Illinois' junior outside hitter Jennifer Berwanger was named to the All-MVC First Team, while freshman setter Rachael Brown was named to the All-Freshman Team.

Berwanger, a native of Lake Zurich, Ill., earns her second consecutive first team nod, and becomes one of four Salukis in program history to be named to the first team twice. She leads the Salukis' in kills, aces and points, as her 3.46 kills per set ranks No. 3 in the league, as does her 3.86 points per set. Her 3.79 digs per set are the most in the Valley from a non-libero, while her 1,221 career digs ranks third in Southern Illinois' history. Berwanger put up 24 double-figure kill matches in 2009 and 10 kill-dig double-doubles in MVC play. Her 18 kill-dig double-doubles in all matches is the most in the league this season, while Berwanger owns 43 career double-doubles.

Berwanger earned one MVC Player of the Week honor and two MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards this season, named to the all-tournament team in all three of the Salukis' non-conference tournaments this season, earning most valuable player honors twice. 

Brown ranks third in the league in assists per set, tops among freshmen setters, averaging 10.41 per set in MVC matches, while setting at a .370 percentage during conference contests. The Brownsburg, Ind. native registered 16 matches with 40 or more assists and notched a career-high 55 assists in the Salukis' win over Indiana State (Oct. 23). Brown currently ranks 10th all-time in program history on the single-season assists chart, tallying 1,171 in her freshman campaign. The rookie was named MVC Freshman of the week four times this season named to two all-tournament teams this season.

Indiana State University Volleyball Senior Whitney Fromm Named To Second Team Volleyball All-Conference

Indiana State Volleyball Team Setter

SENIOR WHITNEY FROMM NAMED TO SECOND TEAM VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE

First Sycamore since 2004 season to be honored with selection to All-MVC Team

 

ST. LOUIS – Indiana State senior setter Whitney Fromm (Snohomish, Wash.) was named second team All-Missouri Valley Conference it was announced today by the league office. Fromm is the first Sycamore since the 2004 season to be selected for the All-Conference team. Kelly Spisak was tabbed for the second team All-Conference and was also a member of the All-Tournament team after the 2004 season.

 

Fromm, a senior at Indiana State, finished her Sycamore career third on the all-time assist list with 2,979 total assists. She had 31 double-double’s during her career (assists and digs) and posted the ninth best single season assist mark during the 2008 season with 1,100 assists.

 

Fromm ranks 10th in the conference in assists per set as she averaged 8.13 per set while distributing the ball at a .346 percentage during all contests. She also ranks 20th in the MVC in digs per set, tallying 2.86 per set in MVC matches.

 

Earlier this week, four members of the Indiana State volleyball team were named to the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete team. Fromm and fellow senior Kelli Whitaker were named to the first team while senior Jodilynne Stoker and sophomore Shelbi Fouty were named honorable mention.

 

Fromm, Stoker and Whitaker were named to the MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete honorable mention team in 2008.

Week 14: Who Got What? College Volleyball Players Honors, Awards and Trophies

Santa Clara University Women's Volleyball Players Lindsy Davigeadono and Dana Knudsen Named to All-WCC Volleyball Teams

Santa Clara, Calif. - Bronco senior Lindsy Davigeadono was named to the All-
WCC First Team by the league's volleyball coaches and freshman-redshirt Dana
Knudsen was named to the WCC All-Freshman team and also to the All-WCC
Honorable Mention team.  It is the 12th year in a row Santa Clara has had at least
one person on the All-WCC First Team.

Davigeadono led the team with 300 kills, hit .296 and finished tied for first on the
team with .88 bpg. She led the team in league matches by hitting .342, scoring
188 kills and 44 total blocks.  She had double-digit kills in 19 matches this
season, including 12 of 14 times in WCC play.  She had a season-high 20 kills at
LMU.  She was a WCC Honorable Mention selection as the team's setter last
year.  Davigeadono finished at No. 6 in career blocks assists with 274, No. 7 in
career total blocks with 28 and No. 8 in career assists with 1,592.

"It's great to see Lindsy receive first-team honors as this is a very prestigious
group this year.  She is very deserving," said Bronco head coach Jon Wallace.
"She posted great numbers and competed night in and night out.  We are really
happy for her and sad to see her go."

Knudsen was third on the team with 255 kills, hitting a second-best .328 on the
team.  She was second in total blocks with 94, averaging .84 bpg.  She had
double-digit kills in 16 matches this year, including a career-high 16 at Saint
Mary's and vs. Pepperdine.  In league matches she was also third in kills with
126 and second in team blocks with .79 bpg.

"Dana made great strides this year as a volleyball player and it's nice to see her
recognized by the coaches in the league as deserving to be named both to the
honorable mention team and all-freshman," said Wallace.  "Her hitting really
improved this season and we look to continue to work hard with her in the off-
season to help her be an even better player next year."

"I am really happy for these two," said Wallace.  "I am very surprised that
Katherine Douglas didn't make the All-WCC freshman team as she played in
every match for this year and was second on the team in kills.  She also was
deserving."

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE VOLLEYBALL SIGNEE KYLANN SCHEIDT NAMED UNDER ARMOUR FIRST-TEAM HIGH SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN

Scheidt is First Signee From Knoxville in Head Coach Rob Patrick’s 13 Years at UT

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee volleyball signee and Knoxville product Kylann Scheidt has been named an Under Armour Girls High School First Team All-American, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Tuesday afternoon.

 

With the distinction, the Farragut High School star also becomes one of 24 players from across the nation invited to participate in the Under Armour All-America Volleyball Match and Skills Competition to be held at the St. Pete Times Forum on Dec. 20 in Tampa, Fla., in conjunction with the 2009 AVCA Annual Convention.

 

Ranked No. 21 on PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Aces chart, Scheidt has spent the past three seasons with the Lady Admirals and will join the Tennessee program in January. As a sophomore at Farragut, the 6-0 setter was named the District 4-AAA Newcomer of the Year and was a member of the region all-tournament team.

 

Just one year later, she led her squad to a 48-7 record and the sectional round of the playoffs, picking up all-state accolades, earning MVP honors in the district and region tournaments and being selected as the Knoxville News Sentinel's 2008 PrepXtra Player of the Year.

 

During her senior season, Scheidt was a nominee for the Gatorade Player of the Year after guiding the Lady Ads to their third straight district title and a 41-10 record. She also took home league MVP accolades for the second consecutive season and has spent time with USA Volleyball's Junior National Training Team in Chula Vista, Calif., in each of the past two years as well.

 

For the first time in the award’s four-year history, the organization awarded honorable mention accolades in addition to the 24-member first and second teams. The 100 players represent 27 states and 81 high schools.

 

Requirements for nomination were that the student-athlete be in her senior year of high school, that she be nominated by her high school coach, that her coach be a member of the AVCA and that her season statistics be entered into MaxPreps, a free service that aggregates and distributes data on high school sports.

 

For more information on the Under Armour All-America Volleyball Match and Skills Competition, go to www.avca.org and look for the match logo on the homepage.

 

##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##

 

 

 

Week 14: Who Got What? College Volleyball Players Honors, Awards and Trophies

Week 14: Who Got What? College Volleyball Players Honors, Awards and Trophies

Olowolafe Named to All-Big West First Team for Second Time

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Highlighted by Cal Poly junior middle blocker Dominique Olowolafe’s second-successive selection to the All-Big West first team, three Mustangs earned all-conference recognition when awards and honors were announced Tuesday afternoon.

Olowolafe, who finished the regular season ranked second among conference players with a .344 hitting percentage, became the seventh Mustang in program history to earn multiple selections to the All-Big West first team. Mustang freshman outside hitter Megan McConnell earned honorable mention praise after pacing Cal Poly with 3.06 kills per set. Joining McConnell on the seven-player all-freshman squad was middle blocker Jennifer Keddy, who led all Mustangs with 0.80 blocks per set.

Olowolafe, who hit higher than .304 in 22 of Cal Poly’s 29 matches this season, posted the 10th-best single-season hitting percentage in program history. One of only two Mustangs to appear in all 114 sets this season, Olowolafe also raised her career hitting mark to a .316 figure that ranks fifth all-time. Olowolafe capped her junior campaign by hitting a season-best .647 against one error and added 12 kills as Cal Poly (9-20, 5-11) swept Cal State Northridge on Nov. 20. She also averaged a career-best 2.35 kills and 0.68 blocks per set this year.

McConnell debuted by recording double-digit kill figures in a team-best 17 of Cal Poly’s 29 matches. She also averaged 3.18 kills per set in Big West play and ranked second among Mustangs with 19 aces.

Keddy finished the year by hitting .333 or higher during Cal Poly’s final seven matches to raise her season percentage to a .254 figure. Keddy also hit .322 during Cal Poly’s 16 Big West matches.

FOUR ANTEATERS EARN ALL-BIG WEST HONORS

 

IRVINE, Calif. --- Four UC Irvine women’s volleyball players collected All-Big West honors as announced today by the conference office.

 

Kari Pestolesi (Huntington Beach/Edison HS), Juliane Piggott (Newport Beach./UCLA) and Taryn Robertson (Valencia/HS) were voted to the all-conference first team while Kristin Winkler (Los Altos/St. Francis HS) was tabbed to the All-Freshman team. Is it the first time since 2003 that three Anteaters have been named first-team all-conference honorees.

 

Pestolesi, who is ranked among the Big West leaders in aces (3^rd), kills (4^th), and digs (6^th), earns her third first-team accolade. Nationally ranked in points (63^rd), aces (65^th) and kills (71^st), Pestolesi tops the Anteaters with 415 kills on the season and is averaging 3.81 per set. She is also the team leader in aces with 41 and is second with 424 digs. The junior standout was voted a National Player of the Week earlier this season after helping the Anteaters upset then-No. 6 California. This season, she has collected three tournament MVP honors and dots both the UCI career and season records. Pestolesi has accumulated 22 double-double matches (kills/digs) with a season-best 23 kills against UConn and 26 digs against Seattle.

 

Piggott earns her initial first-team award after posting 348 kills and 195 digs for UCI. The outside hitter is 10^th in the Big West in kill average at 3.19 and boasts a 3.53 per-set average in Big West contests. On the season Piggott is fourth in aces with 26 and is putting up 0.48 blocks per set to sit fourth on the team. Recently, the junior transfer posted a career-high 27 kills in the Big West title match against Long Beach State and picked up a season-high 16 digs twice against UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara. She has recorded six double-double matches this season and reached 20 or more digs twice.

 

Robertson also is a first-time, first-team honoree. The setter boasts an 11.02 assist average in conference matches to sit second in the Big West and is ranked 82^nd nationally in assists at 10.23. Robertson had a season-best 63 assists and 14 digs, both against Long Beach State, while firing a career-high four aces in the win against Cal State Northridge. The senior knocked down a career-high 10 kills against Cal Poly and recorded a career-high .750 hitting percentage against Pacific after putting away nine of 12 attempts with no errors. Robertson, who is second in UCI’s career records with 4,851, was honored on two tournament teams this year. 

 

Winkler was named to the All-Big West Freshman team after a strong first-year campaign as the Anteaters libero. Winkler has amassed 463 digs on the season, the fourth-best mark in the UCI season records. She sits third in the Big West with a 4.21 dig average and is second among the Anteaters with 28 aces. Winkler recorded a career-high 26 digs against UC Santa Barbara and has reached double-figure digs in all but five matches. Winkler is a two-time all-tournament selection for the Anteaters.

 

UC Irvine, helmed by first-year head coach Paula Weishoff, finished tied for second in the Big West at 11-5. UCI, 22-7 overall, recorded the program’s second-highest number of wins this season and travels to Long Beach State to take on TCU in the regular-season finale Saturday (Nov. 28) at 2:30 p.m.

 

Alabama Women's Volleyball player Alyssa Meuth Named to SEC Community Service Team

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama junior opposite hitter Alyssa Meuth was named to the Southeastern Conference Volleyball Community Service Team for her off-the-court efforts on Tuesday, which was announced by the league office.

 

Meuth has spent ample hours working with students of all ages in various capacities throughout her three years at the Capstone including at afterschool programs, child development centers and kindergarten classrooms. In addition, the Helotes, Texas native has volunteered at Tuscaloosa area retirement homes. Most recently, she got involved at the RISE Center where she interacts with children with disabilities.

 

Meuth, a human environmental sciences major, was also a member of the Academic Honor Roll last season. She aspires to one day work with children.

 

The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 20 league-sponsored sports looking to highlight an athlete from each institution who gives back to the community in superior service efforts. This is the seventh season the SEC has recognized a team in volleyball.

 

--UA--

UC Riverside Women's Volleyball Cowling, Murrey Named 2009 Big West Honorable Mention

 

 Irvine, CA - The Big West Conference doled out its end of season volleyball awards on Tuesday, and UC Riverside seniors Dominique Cowling and Brittney Murrey were named to the Honorable Mention team.

Cowling led the Highlanders with 363 total kills and 3.74 kills per set, a personal best, while also finishing 5th in the conference in kills per set. She also ranks eighth in Highlanders history in total attacks.

Murrey tallied 863 assists on the season, finishing seventh in the Big West in assists per game. Her 3,502 career assists is second on the Highlanders career assists charts, while her 8.9 career assists per game ranks third all-time in school history.

UC Santa Barbara's Rebecca Saraceno was named 2009 Player of the Year, while Cal State Fullerton's Kayla Neta was named Freshman of the Year. Kathy Gregory from UCSB and Jamie Holmes from UC Davis were named Co-Coach of the Year.

The Highlanders finished the 2009 season with a 6-21 record, 3-13 in conference play under the tutelage of first-year head coach Ron Larsen.
--

LSU Women's Volleyball’ Player DeGirolamo Notches SEC Community Service Team Honors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – LSU middle blocker Lauren DeGirolamo picked up SEC Community Service Team accolades for her off-the-court efforts Tuesday as announced by the league office. It marked the second straight season that DeGirolamo has earned this prestigious honor. 

“We’re very proud of Lauren and the positive impact she has made during her career representing our program,” head coach Fran Flory said. “She’s a true student-athlete that works extremely hard not only on the court and in the classroom but also out in the community.”  

DeGirolamo spearheaded the volleyball activity center at the Halloween BOOzar in October where LSU athletics provided a safe Halloween experience for local kids. She also answered phones at the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Muscular Dystophy Association Telethon in September.

DeGirolamo and her teammates have adopted an underprivileged child as part of the upcoming Christmas with the Tigers Event scheduled for next week. They have raised money in order to provide their child with toys, clothes, and other presents for the holidays.

Earlier in the semester, DeGirolamo hosted a local elementary student who shadowed her for the day at LSU as part of Big Buddy Program's Day of a Mentor. She also participated at Big Buddy’s Evening of Champions event as a role model to the program. 

DeGirolamo was a Best Buddies Friendship Walk participant with mentally challenged youth, a volunteer at Citivan's Mardi Gras Dance with Mentally Challenged adults and cheered on kids to finish a race at the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Strides & Rides event.  She also promoted reading to Middle School kids and stressed importance of going to college through Hit the Books Running.

A four-time SEC Honor Roll recipient and three-time CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District pick, DeGirolamo has blossomed into a six-rotation player this season. She recently became the 17th player in program history to surpass 1,000 kills. The Illinois native joined Lisa Smith [1984-87] and Julie Stempel [1988-91] as the only players to record over 1,000 kills and 500 blocks during their LSU careers.

LSU wraps up the regular season Friday at Rice. The Owls qualified for the NCAA’s last weekend by winning the Conference USA Tournament. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. and live stats are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow in-match updates of the five-time SEC Western Division champions viawww.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.

2009 SEC Community Service Team
Lauren DeGirolamo [LSU]
Kathleen Gates [Georgia]
Dorey Gray [Mississippi State]
Leah Hinkey [Tennessee]
Kristina Johnson [Florida]
Emily Kvitle [Ole Miss]
Alyssa Meuth [Alabama]
Olivia Ryder [South Carolina]
BriAnne Sauer [Kentucky]
Lindsay Scanlan [Arkansas]
Sara Shanks [Auburn]

Lobos Land Three On All-MWC Volleyball Team

Michaelsen repeats; Hadfield and Morris are first time honorees

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- The University of New Mexico landed three players on the 2009 All-Mountain West Conference Volleyball Team, as announced by the league on Tuesday morning.  Taylor Hadfield, Jade Michaelsen and Rose Morris were named to the 17-person team that was selected by the league’s nine head coaches.  It is the second year in a row that New Mexico has placed multiple players on the All-MWC Team.

 

“It is a great honor for our team to have three players honored once gain this year on the All-MWC Team,” said Lobo head coach Jeff Nelson.  “It is exciting for the players chosen and for our entire program.  I am extremely happy for all three honorees.  Jade Michaelsen and Rose Morris are doing a great job as our captains this year, so it is nice to see them honored.  Taylor Hadfield is having an outstanding year offensively and was a go-to player many nights for us.”

Michaelsen is just the second repeat All-MWC honoree in Lobo volleyball history, matching Jeanne Fairchild’s mark in 2008.  The junior setter from Tucson, Ariz. ranks third in the Mountain West Conference with 10.37 assists per set.  Against TCU on Nov. 20, she recorded a career single-match high of 61 assists and produced her 3,000^th career assist during the third set of the match.  Michaelsen currently ranks fifth on the UNM all-time career assists list with 3,027.

“It is a great honor with so many great teams and great players in the league,” said Michaelsen.  “It is an honor for our team, they are the reason I’m on there.  I wouldn’t be able to do anything without the passes I get from my passers and the hits I get from my hitters.  They should all feel like they are on there, because they are the ones that put me there.”

Hadfield, a junior outside hitter from Corte Madera, Calif. leads the Lobos in kills per set with 2.73 and is third on the team in solo blocks with 10.  She came on strong during conference action, ranking ninth in hitting percentage at .303 and had 2.98 kills per set over the 16 matches.

“I’m really honored especially with all of the work we’ve put in this year,” said Hadfield. “I think it is really good for our team, because we have set a high standard with our level of competition.”

Morris, a senior outside hitter from Albuquerque, N.M. missed seven matches during the season with a finger injury, but came back with a vengeance pushing the Lobos into third place in the league.  The 2009 team co-captain, with Michaelsen, was second on the team in kills per set with 2.53.

“It means a lot to me, what a great cap to the year,” said Morris.  “We had three players named which is a big deal.  Jade, Taylor and I don’t do it alone.  Anna (Lehne), Ashley (Rhoades), Lisa (Meeter), Allison (Buck) and the rest of our team are right in the thick of things with us day in and day out.  Everyone taking their game up a notch this season is a big reason for our success.”

The Lobos wrap up the regular season on Friday, Nov. 27 with a match at the University of New Orleans.  Match time at the Human Performance Center is set for 6 p.m. (MT).

UNM (19-9, 10-6 MWC) will host an NCAA Selection Show Watch Party on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 12:30 p.m. in the End Zone Club (3^rd floor, Tow Diehm Building) on South Campus.  The Lobos are considered to be among the top teams in the region and hold an NCAA RPI of 41 going into the week.

-UNM-

Week 14: College Volleyball Players Honors, Awards and Trophies

INDIANA STATE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

FOUR SYCAMORES NAMED TO MISSOURI VALLEY VOLLEYBALL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE LIST

Three seniors, sophomore are recognized for academic & athletic accomplishments

ST. LOUIS – Four members of the Indiana State volleyball team have been named to the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete team, it was announced today by the league office. Seniors Whitney Fromm and Kelli Whitaker were named to the first team while senior Jodilynne Stoker and sophomore Shelbi Fouty were named honorable mention.

 

Fromm (Snohomish, Wash.), a setter for the Sycamores, has a 3.95 grade point average (GPA) while majoring in Art at Indiana State. The senior has received the Missouri Valley’s Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award twice, is a three-time selection to the MVC Honor Roll, and was named honorable mention on the 2008 MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete team.

 

She was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor and ISU Dean’s List every semester eligible and twice named to the Sycamore Scholar-Athlete team. Fromm finished her career with the third highest total of assists in Indiana State history (2,979) and had the ninth best single season effort in 2008 (1,100). She had 912 assists this season.

 

Whitaker (New Palestine, Ind.), an outside hitter for the Sycamores, has a 4.00 GPA while majoring in Elementary Education at Indiana State. The senior received the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference State Farm Good Neighbor Award for excellence in athletics, academics, and community involvement. Whitaker was named the 2009 Indiana State Presidential Scholar-Athlete of the Year, named to the 2009 All-Academic team, the Sycamore Scholar-Athlete team, and received the College of Education Office of the Dean High Honor Scholar award.

 

The senior has received the Missouri Valley’s Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award twice, is a three-time selection to the MVC Honor Roll, and was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and ISU Dean’s List every semester eligible. She set the Indiana State freshmen record for kills per set (3.11) during the 2006 season.

 

Fouty (Plainfield, Ind.), a sophomore setter for the Sycamores, has a 4.00 GPA while majoring in Pre-Elementary Education at Indiana State. The sophomore is a two-time selection to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and has been named to the Dean’s List every semester eligible. Fouty played in every game this season accumulating 164 assists, 15 aces, 250 digs and five kills.

 

Stoker (Ames, Iowa), an outside hitter for the Sycamores, has a 3.37 GPA while majoring in Exercise Science at Indiana State. The senior recorded her 1,000th career kill in the opening set of the final game of the 2009 season becoming just the 10th Sycamore to reach that plateau. She concluded her career with 1,008 kills (10th on the all-time list) and 3,502 total attacks (fourth on the all-time list). She also had 73 career aces. She also holds the seventh spot in single season total attacks (1,138) accomplished during the 2008 campaign.

 

A three-time selection to the MVC Honor Roll, Stoker was an honorable mention selection on the 2008 MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete team. She has also been named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and Dean’s List at Indiana State.

 

The Sycamore Volleyball program was recognized last July by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for academic excellence marking the 11th consecutive year that Indiana State has received the AVCA Team Academic Award, the longest active streak in NCAA Division I.

 

A total of 13 MVC volleyball student-athletes were named to the first team with 10 additional student-athletes earning honorable mention. There were 42 student-athletes nominated this year.

 

 Three Frogs Tabbed All-Mountain West Conference

Munce named Setter of the Year

FORT WORTH, Texas – On the heels of a second-place finish in Mountain West Conference play, the TCU volleyball team saw three members of their squad earn all-conference accolades. Megan Munce was tabbed the Setter of the Year, while Kourtney Edwards and Katelyn Blackwood earned all-conference nods.

Munce guided the Frogs to a 13-3 league mark, setting the Frogs to an average of 13.2 kills per set. She has tallied 1092 digs in her first season as the setter, an average of 9.84 per set. Her 51 service aces on the season are tops in the league. She has racked up 12 double-doubles. Defensively, the sophomore is averaging 2.54 digs per set.

She has been even stronger in league play with an average of 10.12 assists per set and 2.57 digs per set.

The conference’s most accurate hitter with a .367 attack percentage, Edwards is a five-time MWC Hitter of the Week honoree. She has a team-high 354 kills this season, an average of 3.25 per set. Her 113 blocks also pace the team and rank 10th in the league. She has led the team in kills on 13 occasions and in blocks 18 times.

In conference play, Edwards is averaging 3.11 kills per set and is hitting at a .327 clip. She has 52 total blocks for an average of 0.93 per set.

Blackwood leads the league with an average of 4.30 digs per set. She has totaled 474 on the season in 110 sets played. The senior has tallied double figures in digs on 26 occasions and has posted 20 or more digs in 10 matches. She leads a Frog defensive effort that averages 16.14 digs per set, which is tops in the Mountain West Conference.

Out of her 474 total digs this season, 243 have come in league play, an average of 4.34 per set. In MWC play, the Frogs are averaging 16.71 digs per set.

FIVE PEPPERDINE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS EARN WCC HONORS

 

MALIBU, Calif. – Five members of the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team earned West Coast Conference postseason honors today, with Kiah Fiers, Rachel Grochmal and Kim Hill leading the way as All-WCC first team selections.

 

Additionally, Victoria Adelhelm picked up a pair of honors after being named to the WCC All-Freshman team and as an All-WCC honorable mention selection, andStevi Robinson also collected All-WCC honorable mention honors.

 

Pepperdine and WCC champion Saint Mary’s were the only schools to put three players on the All-WCC first team. The Waves have had three players on the first team in three of the last four years.

 

Fiers (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Peninsula HS), a senior setter, earned All-WCC honors all four seasons. She also made the first team in 2007 and was honorable mention in 2006 and 2008. In conference matches only, she was second in the league with 11.39 assists per set.

 

Grochmal (Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS), a senior outside hitter, was picked to the first team for the first time. She was an honorable mention selection in both 2006 and 2008. In conference matches only, she was fourth in the league in points (3.89) and fifth in kills (3.36).

 

Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS), a sophomore middle blocker, was the WCC Freshman of the Year last season and an All-WCC honorable mention selection. In conference matches only, she led the WCC in hitting percentage (.475, nearly three-quarters of a point better than anyone else) and was sixth in kills (3.35) and seventh in points (3.81).

 

Adelhelm (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian HS), a freshman middle blocker, was in the starting lineup the entire season for the Waves. In conference matches only, she was fifth in the league in hitting percentage (.364) and fifth in blocks (1.04). She was the top-ranked freshman in both categories.

 

Robinson (Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS), a sophomore libero, earned honorable mention honors for the second straight season. In conference matches only, she ranked fourth in the WCC in digs (4.04) and service aces (0.32).

 

Pepperdine concluded its regular season with a 16-11 overall record and in third place in the WCC with a 9-5 mark. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Sunday (Nov. 29) at noon PT on ESPNews.

 

Two Ute Women's Volleyball Players Named to All-MWC Team
Bartkowiak and Sandberg earn all-conference nods.

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Junior opposite hitter Karolina Bartkowiak and senior middle blocker Chelsey Sandberg of the University of Utah volleyball team were selected to the All-Mountain West Conference Team, as selected by the league's nine coaches, the conference office announced Tuesday.

 

Bartkowiak, a Preseason All-MWC selection and Aurora, Ill., native, earned her second straight all-conference selection and currently ranks sixth in the MWC’s overall statistics with 3.03 kills and 3.56 points per set. In the 16 conference matches this season, Bartkowiak is fifth in the conference-only statistics with 3.17 kills and 3.70 points per set.

 

Bartkowiak served as a team tri-captain this season, earning 2009 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII accolades and MWC Player of the Week honors three times. Bartkowiak earned the first MWC Player of the Week award on Aug. 31, Sept. 28 and Oct. 12. She hit a career-high 22 kills and had 17 digs against BYU and had a career-high 23 digs against TCU on Oct. 8.

 

Bartkowiak posted 11 double-doubles this season, the first of career, and has led Utah in kills 15 times, blocks three times and digs once.

 

Sandberg earned her first career all-conference selection after finishing fourth in the MWC with 0.30 service aces per set and ranking seventh in the league with a .303 hitting percentage. She stepped up to a leadership role during spring practice and served as one of the team’s tri-captains in 2009.

 

Sandberg has seven double-digit-kill performances this season and hit a career-high 14 kills in consecutive home matches against Weber State (Oct. 6) and TCU (Oct. 8). She also reached double figures in kills against Washington State (Sept. 5), Air Force (Sept. 17), BYU (Oct. 23), San Diego State (Nov. 19) and Air Force (Nov. 21).

 

The West Jordan, Utah native served a career-high six aces against Cal Poly on Sept. 1 and had a season-high .778 hitting percentage against Arizona State on Aug. 28.

 

Sandberg is eighth in school history with 322 block assists and is 30 away from Whitney Webb (2004-07), who ranks seventh in Utah history with 352 in her career. Sandberg is also ninth in the Utah record book with 342 total blocks.

 

Utah concludes its regular season with a non-conference match Saturday at Long Beach State in the Mizuno Thanksgiving Classic. First serve from Walter Pyramid is set for 7:30 p.m. PT with live audio found at http://secure.stretchinternet.com/live.php?user=lbsu&id=56793.

Southern Illinois University Volleyball lands three on MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams

Jennifer Berwanger was the lone unanimous selection.

Nov. 24, 2009

www.SIUSalukis.com

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Thirteen Missouri Valley Conference volleyball student-athletes have been named to the 2009 MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team by a vote of the league's volleyball sports information directors and 10 additional student-athletes have earned honorable mention, the league office announced today.

SIU's Jennifer Berwanger and Alicia Johnson earned first-team honors and Lauren Blumhorstwas named honorable mention.

This year's first team includes 10 players that have received previous MVC volleyball scholar-athlete recognition, including five repeat first team honorees and one unanimous selection, Southern Illinois' Berwanger (3.86 GPA, Therapeutic Recreation & Physical Therapy).

The first team also includes Jessica Houts and Allie Oelke of Creighton, Angela Bys of Drake, Tabitha Visk of Illinois State, Whitney Fromm and Kelli Whitaker of Indiana State, Melissa Gmur and Cara Hackmann of Missouri State, Beth Discher of UNI and Mary Elizabeth Hooper and Emily Stockman of Wichita State.

Three Valley first team scholar-athletes - Berwanger, Hackmann and Visk - were also members of their respective ESPN The Magazine/CoSida Academic All-District Teams.

Forty-two student-athletes were nominated for the Valley's scholar-athlete team. The criterion for the honor parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of the regular-season matches. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore status in both athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen were not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution. 

MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE FIRST TEAM
Name, School, Year, Pos. • GPA, Major, Hometown 

^Jennifer Berwanger, Southern Illinois, Jr., OH • 3.86, Therapeutic Rec. & Physical Therapy, Lake Zurich, Ill.
^Angela Bys, Drake, Jr., OH • 3.67, Secondary Education, Marion, Iowa
Beth Discher, UNI, Jr., OH • 3.89, Accounting, Grimes, Iowa
#Whitney Fromm, Indiana State, Jr., S • 3.95, Art, Snohomish, Wash.
Melissa Gmur, Missouri State, Jr., S • 3.89, Elementary Education,Central Point, Ore.
^Cara Hackmann, Missouri State, Jr., L • 3.84, Finance, Washington, Mo.
Mary Elizabeth Hooper, Wichita State, So., S • 3.69, Health Science, Plano, Texas
^Jessica Houts, Creighton, Sr., MB • 3.52, Exercise Science, Bloomington, Minn.
Alicia Johnson, Southern Illinois, Jr., RS • 3.91, Recreation Management, Tripoli, Iowa
Allie Oelke, Creighton, Jr., OH • 3.71, Elementary Education, Chanhassen, Minn.
^Emily Stockman, Wichita State, Sr., OH • 3.30, Exercise Science, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Tabitha Visk, Illinois State, Sr., MB • 4.00, Family & Consumer Science, Salem, Wis.
#Kelli Whitaker, Indiana State, Sr., OH • 4.00, Elementary Education, New Palestine, Ind.

MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE HONORABLE MENTION
Lauren Blumhorst, Southern Illinois, So., DS • 3.82, Math Education, Tripoli, Iowa
Michelle Burow, UNI, So., MB • 3.34, Finance, Lincoln, Neb.
Shelbi Fouty, Indiana State, So., S • 4.00, Pre-Elementary Education, Plainfield, Ind.
Kasey Mollerus, Illinois State, Sr., L • 3.44, Early Childhood Education, St. Charles, Mo.
Amy Reichel, Bradley, Sr., OH • 3.45, Advertising, Schaumburg, Ill.
Alicia Runge, Creighton, Jr., OH • 3.71, Organizational Communication, Swea City, Iowa
#%Sara Staubach, Missouri State, Jr., OH • 3.47, Dietetics, Cincinnati, Ohio
#Jodilynne Stoker, Indiana State, Jr., OH • 3.33, Physical Education/Exercise Science, Ames, Iowa
Kim Wadsworth, Wichita State, Sr., OH • 3.50, Business Admin./Biological Services, Andover, Kan.
Alana Wittenburg, Drake, Jr., L • 3.37, Health Sciences, Readlyn, Iowa

^ 2008 First-Team; # 2008 Honorable Mention; % 2007 Honorable Mention

Four Frogs Tabbed All-Mountain West Conference
Munce named Setter of the Year

FORT WORTH, Texas – On the heels of a second-place finish in Mountain West Conference play, the TCU volleyball team saw four members of their squad earn all-conference accolades. Megan Munce was tabbed the Setter of the Year, while Kourtney Edwards, Christy Hudson and Katelyn Blackwood earned all-conference nods.

Hudson is a two-time all-conference honoree, earning all-conference accolades in 2008. Munce, Edwards and Blackwood all earned their first all-conference nod.

Munce guided the Frogs to a 13-3 league mark, setting the Frogs to an average of 13.2 kills per set. She has tallied 1092 digs in her first season as the setter, an average of 9.84 per set. Her 51 service aces on the season are tops in the league. She has racked up 12 double-doubles. Defensively, the sophomore is averaging 2.54 digs per set.

She has been even stronger in league play with an average of 10.12 assists per set and 2.57 digs per set.

The conference’s most accurate hitter with a .367 attack percentage, Edwards is a five-time MWC Hitter of the Week honoree. She has a team-high 354 kills this season, an average of 3.25 per set. Her 113 blocks also pace the team and rank 10th in the league. She has led the team in kills on 13 occasions and in blocks 18 times.

In conference play, Edwards is averaging 3.11 kills per set and is hitting at a .327 clip. She has 52 total blocks for an average of 0.93 per set.

Blackwood leads the league with an average of 4.30 digs per set. She has totaled 474 on the season in 110 sets played. The senior has tallied double figures in digs on 26 occasions and has posted 20 or more digs in 10 matches. She leads a Frog defensive effort that averages 16.14 digs per set, which is tops in the Mountain West Conference.

Out of her 474 total digs this season, 243 have come in league play, an average of 4.34 per set. In MWC play, the Frogs are averaging 16.71 digs per set.

Hudson ranks second on the squad with 254 kills this season, an average of 2.42 per set. She has tallied 118 digs on the year and ranks third on the team with 79 blocks. She has paced the team in kills in nine matches and in blocks on five occasions. Her .291 attack percentage ranks ninth in the league.

In league play, the junior is hitting .340 with an average of 1.87 kills per set. She has tallied 61 digs for an average of 1.09 per set.

BriAnne Sauer Named to SEC Community Service Team

First such honor of senior’s career

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  –  Senior BriAnne Sauer was named to the Southeastern Conference Community Service team it was announced by the league office on Tuesday. This is the first such honor for the senior from Louisville. Sauer is one of 11 volleyball athletes tabbed for the honor.

The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 20 league sponsored sports. The Community Service Team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to her community in superior service efforts.

Sauer has been an active member in the Lexington community since her arrival on campus. She is a regular visitor at the UK Children’s Hospital and has worked volleyball camps and clinics including the Cooperstown Sports Clinic, Girl Scout Volleyball clinic and the YMCA volleyball clinic. Additionally, Sauer has spent time helping the Salvation Army and the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans. She along with some of her teammates worked for Habitat for Humanity.

Sauer has also participated in a number of physical activities to aid the community including the Jumpin Jags Health kickoff, Skeeter Johnson walk and the Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge. Finally, Sauer has also spent time working at the Lighthouse Ministries as a server and a visitor and spent time with the youth by helping with the Junior Wildcat Club autograph signing.

The senior is a three-time member of the ESPN The Magazine CoSida Academic All District team and a three-time All-SEC Academic Team performer.

She is having the best season of her career in her final campaign for the Blue and White. Twice this season she has been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week as she has racked up a career-best 510 digs this season. Her career total of 1,564 career digs is the ninth most of any player in SEC history.

UK wraps up the regular season in Knoxville on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Match time is set for a 7 p.m. ET start.

 

For the most up-to-date news, highlights and features about the Kentucky volleyball team please visit UKathletics.com.

 

‑ GO CATS ‑

 

Week 14: College Volleyball Players Honors, Trophies and Awards This Week

Collymore Named Academic All-American

Also heads five UW honorees on the Pac-10 All-Academic Team.

SEATTLE – For the second time in her distinguished career, Washington senior Jill Collymore was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American today it was announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Not only that, but Collymore was also voted First Team Pac-10 All-Academic as the conference office made its selections this afternoon.

 

Collymore, a native of Bellevue, Wash., was voted to the Academic All-America Second Team, after being named to the Third Team last season. The double major in honors psychology and digital arts owns a 3.77 grade point average. She was also a Pac-10 First Team All-Academic selection last year, and was named Second Team in 2006. Collymore and Stanford’s Alix Klineman were the only Pac-10 players named to the team.

 

Four more Huskies earned Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention. Senior Tamari Miyashiro, junior Jenna Hagglund, sophomore Lauren Barfield, and redshirt freshman Kelcey Dunaway all garnered the distinction.

 

TEMPE, Ariz. - In addition to enjoying their seventh consecutive season with a First-Team Pac-10 All-Academic selection, the Sun Devil Volleyball Team was also honored with four Sun Devils being selected to the Pac-10 All-Academic Team as Sofie Schlagintweit, Sarah Johnson, Sonja Markanovich and Sarah Reaves were all honored Monday afternoon by the Pac-10.

To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and be either a starter or significant contributor. Following is the entire Pac-10 All-Academic Team:

First Team
Jill Collymore, WASH Sr. 3.77 Honors Digital Arts and Honors Psychology
Joanna Evans, STAN Sr. 3.72 International Relations & Spanish
Bree Knitter, OSU Sr. 3.79 Sociology and Spanish
Kaitlin Sather, UCLA Sr. 3.72 History
Jill Sawatzky, OSU Jr. 3.94 Business Administration
Sofie Schlagintweit, ASU So 4.14 Biological Sciences
Paige Weber, ARIZ Jr. 3.84 Pre-Business

Second Team
Jackie Albright, WSU Sr. 3.56 Civil Engineering
Stephanie Browne, STAN RSo. 3.88 Political Science
Nevena Djordjevic, ORE Sr. 3.56 Accounting
Dana Hutchinson, ARIZ So. 3.79 Unselected
Cassidy Lichtman, STAN Jr. 3.63 Political Science
Janet Okogbaa, STAN Sr 3.70 Human Biology
Geena Urango, USC Jr. 3.69 Communications

Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Honorable Mention All-Academic
Camilla Ah-Hoy, Sr., OSU; Gabi Ailes, Jr., STAN; Kaylen Bannister, So., ARIZ; Lauren Barfield, So., WASH; Kendall Bateman, So., USC; Katie Camp, So., UCLA; Hana Cutura, Sr., CAL; Betsy Devich, So., OSU; Kelcey Dunaway, RFr., WASH; Alex Fisher, RSr., STAN; Zoe Garrett, Jr., USC; Jenna Hagglund, Jr., WASH; Elise Hendrickson, So., ARIZ; Alli Hillgren, Sr., USC; Faith Hutcherson, Jr., WSU; Sarah Johnson, Jr., ASU; Kristen Kathan, Sr., CAL; Alix Klineman, Jr., STAN; Carli Lloyd, Jr., CAL; Sonja Markanovich, So., ASU; Dicey McGraw, Jr., UCLA; Tamari Miyashiro, Sr., WASH; Tarah Murrey, So., CAL; Sonya Newcombe, Sr., ORE; Lexie Rathgeber, Sr., OSU; Sarah Reaves, Jr., ASU; Cassie Robbins, Sr., WSU; Kiersten Sambrailo, Jr., OSU; Meagan Schmitt, Jr., CAL; Katherine Sebastian, So., STAN; Jessica Walker, RFr., STAN; Mindi Wiley, Sr., CAL.

NO. 3 MASON ADVANCES TO CAA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2003

                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                 

 

RICHMOND, Va. (November 23, 2009) – Third-seeded George Mason rallied back from down two sets to one to defeat second-seeded Delaware, 3-2, in the opening match of the CAA Championship semifinals on Monday evening.  The Patriots advance to the championship match and will play the winner of the No. 1 VCU/No. 4 William & Mary match on Tuesday evening.

 

Holly Goode, CAA Player of the Year, guided the Patriots to the win with a match-high 20 kills.  The junior middle blocker/opposite hitter completed the match with a double-double adding 14 digs.  Rebecca Walter and Fernanda Bartels also scored double-doubles for the Patriots.  Walter posted a team-high 18 digs to go along with 14 kills, while Bartels dished out 44 assists and contributed 15 digs.  Mason had the advantage at the net as they recorded 28 total blocks to UD’s 20.  Goode and Laura Turner each made seven blocks in the five-set match.  The Patriots advance to the championship match for the first time since 2003 and for the 12th time in school history.

 

The Blue Hens were led by Jess Chason, CAA Setter of the Year, as she posted a double-double with a match-high 55 assists and added 21 digs.  Katie Dennehy recorded a team-high 16 kills for Delaware, while Kim Stewart (14) and Alissa Alker (12) also marked double-digit kills. Stewart finished with a double-double while adding 13 digs.  Delaware senior libero Stephanie Barry tallied a match-high 29 digs.

 

George Mason took the lead early as they defeated the Blue Hens, 25-23, in the first set of the opening semifinal. Goode recorded team highs of four kills and seven digs.  Teammate Kelsey Bohman made a pair of blocks to help the Patriots take the first set.  Alker tabbed a team-high five kills for Delaware, while Barry recorded a set-high 11 digs.  Chason dished out 13 assists for the Blue Hens. 

 

Delaware evened the match up, 1-1, with a 25-23 win in the second set.  Stewart led the way with for the Hens with five kills, while Paige Erickson and Michelle LaLonde each added three.  Barry and Erickson teamed up together for 10 Delaware digs in the second stanza and Chason added 13 more assists.  Delaware’s defense made eight strong blocks, while Mason posted just two blocks. Mason was led by Goode’s set-high seven kills, while Bohman contributed four.  Walter assisted the Patriots’ defense with seven digs and Bartels dished out 12 assists.

 

The Blue Hens took control with a 25-20 win in the third set of the match, led by Dennehy’s seven kills. LaLonde added five kills on a team-high .571 attack percentage. Chason recorded set highs of 16 assists and 10 digs for the Blue Hens. Mason received three kills each from Goode and Walter, while freshman libero Koala Matsuoka tallied seven digs for the Patriots.  Koala finished the match with 17 digs.     

 

Mason rallied back in the fourth set, 25-21, to tie the match up 2-2.  Mason made 10 total blocks in the fourth set, led by Goode and Turner each posting three apiece.  Goode and Walter evenly split eight kills to pace the Patriots’ offense, while Walter added a team-best five digs.  Delaware’s Dennehy recorded three kills on five attempts for a team-high .600 attack percentage, while Barry contributed six digs. 

 

Mason captured the fifth and final set by a score of 15-7, as Walters posted a set-high three kills and the Patriots recorded eight blocks. Turner made three blocks in the set, while teammates Goode and Bartels each contributed two. The Patriots took the lead on the first serve and never looked back, while posting the largest lead of the set, 12-3, midway through the final stanza.

 

 

MASON’S GOODE HIGHLIGHTS CAA VOLLEYBALL POSTSEASON HONORS

                                                                                                                                                                                    

RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 22, 2009) – George Mason junior middle blocker/opposite hitter Holly Goode was selected the 2009 CAA Volleyball Player of the Year in the voting by the league’s head coaches.

 

Other top individual awards went to Delaware’s Jess Chason as the CAA Setter of the Year, William & Mary’s Lindsey Pflugner as the CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year and VCU’s Michala Kvapilova as the CAA Rookie of the Year.  George Mason’s Pat Kendrick was honored with the CAA Coach of the Year award.  The honors were presented Sunday evening before the semifinals of the CAA Volleyball Championship in Richmond, Va., on the campus of VCU.

 

Goode had a breakout season in her first year as a full-time starter at George Mason. The junior led the Patriots with 303 kills in 96 sets.  She ranked third in the CAA in kills per set (3.16), fifth with a .293 attack percentage and third in points per set with 3.68. Goode also contributed defensively, ranking second on the team with 220 digs and third on the squad with 81 total blocks. She is the first Mason player since 2003 to receive CAA Player of the Year accolades.

 

Chason led the league averaging 9.96 assists per set overall and 10.15 in league play.  The junior received the CAA Offensive Player of the Week award twice this season for her strong play.  She finished the regular season with 2,193 career assists and stands seventh on Delaware’s all-time career assist list. Chason also contributed 23 service aces during the regular season.

 

Pflugner was selected as the CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year after leading the conference and the Tribe with 533 total digs and 5.23 digs per set.  She also topped the conference with 5.66 digs per set during CAA matches. The junior scored a team-best 27 service aces during the regular season and added 66 assists. 

 

Kvapilova led the Rams to their first CAA regular season title by topping the squad with 2.74 kills per set.  The freshman recorded a team-best 323 kills during the regular season and added 245 digs.  The outside hitter led VCU with 37 service aces and contributed 30 assists and 56 blocks. 

 

Kendrick received CAA Coach of the Year honors for the eighth time in her tenure at George Mason.  She guided the Patriots to a 21-8 overall record and a 10-4 CAA mark to earn the third seed in the conference championship.  The Patriots return to the championship for the first time since 2007 and will look for their first CAA Championship title since 2003. 

 

Delaware and VCU each had four players receive all-conference honors, while George Mason and William & Mary were represented by three selections each. Chason, Goode, Kvapilova and Pflugner are joined by UD’s Stephanie Barry and Mason’s Kelsey Bohman on the first-team.  Barry produced 509 digs and ranked second in the league with 5.04 digs per set, while Bohman leads the conference with 1.41 blocks per outing and ranks 13^th among all Division I players in blocks. 

C-USA Volleyball Earns Two Academic All-America Honors

Jessica Boulavsky and Elizabeth Fleming  Named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America 
This marks the first time the league has had two Academic All-America honorees in the same season. 

TOWSON, Md. –  Rice’s Jessica Boulavsky and Elizabeth Fleming of Marshall have been named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America first and second teams, respectively, as announced by CoSIDA on Monday. 

This marks the first time the duo has garnered the honor and the first time the league has had two Academic All-America honorees in the same season. 

 

Boulavsky and Fleming were named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District first teams, which qualified them for the national ballot.

 

Boulavsky’s Owls recently won the 2009 C-USA Tournament and will participate in the 2009 NCAA Championship in December. The senior outside hitter is a two-timeESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VI first team selection and owns a 4.0 GPA in psychology and pre-med. The Houston, Texas native also earned C-USA All-Academic merits and was named the 2009 Rice Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She earned a spot on the Mizuno Invitational All-Tournament Team earlier this season.

 

Fleming, a native of South Bend, Ind., has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average as an international affairs major. She is also a two-time All-Academic C-USA selection as well as a All-C-USA second team honoree this year. She finished with an 11.17 assists per set average, which ranked second in league statistics.  Fleming recorded 10 double-doubles on the year, while surpassing the 50-assist plateau on four occasions.

 

http://www.cosida.com/news/2009/11/23/1123091210_8710.aspx

 

 

Destinee Hooker earns fifth Big 12 Volleyball honor of the year 

Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker earns her fifth Big 12 Player of the Week award of 2009 and the 12^th of her career

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker was named Big 12 Player of the Week after leading the second-ranked Longhorns to sweeps of Kansas State and No. 24 Baylor last week. Hooker’s award was her fifth of the season and the 12th player of the week honor of her career.

 

The San Antonio, Texas, native connected for 7.00 points and 4.83 kills per-set for the week, while hitting at a .338 clip. She added 2.50 digs, 1.83 blocks and 0.83 service aces per-set in the Horns’ wins, helping UT clinch at least a share of the Big 12 title.

 

In Texas’ sweep of Kansas State, Hooker connected for 15 kills on 30 error-free swings and posted a .500 attack mark. She equaled a career-high with four block assists and eight total blocks and added three service aces and seven digs to her stat line.

 

Hooker headlined the UT attack in its sweep of No. 24 Baylor, hammering out 14 kills and totaling two service aces, two assists, eight digs and three total blocks.

 

Hooker and her Texas teammates return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 25 when they travel to Oklahoma. A victory over the Sooners will clinch the Longhorns their first outright Big 12 title since 1997. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Central.

 

 

 

 

 Felsing Earns ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Honors

Senior libero wins acclaim for second-straight season

MILWAUKEE - Lauren Felsing of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team has earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America recognition.

Felsing carries a 3.97 grade-point average in marketing and claimed a spot on the third team after winning ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors earlier this month.

This is the second-straight season the senior libero has earned Academic All-America honors, while she is one of two UWM volleyball players to ever win Academic All-America acclaim. Cheryl Hegemann was named to the third team in 2006.

On the court, Felsing has led the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament for an eighth time this season. She claimed tournament most valuable player honors after averaging 4.75 digs per set in UWM's three victories.

Felsing became UWM's all-time digs leader during this past weekend's Horizon League Tournament, as she now has 1,905 in her career. She also finished off her matchups with league opponents having reached double figures in digs in 55-straight contests against the league. This season, she has 548 digs, second on UWM's single-season list to the 645 she tallied last season.

Her on-court resume also includes two-time All-Horizon League recognition and a pair of Horizon League All-Tournament Team honors in addition to her MVP award this year. Plus, she earned American Volleyball Coaches' Association honorable mention all-region recognition in 2008. She is also a five-time Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week honoree.

Academically, Felsing is also a two-time Horizon League All-Academic honoree, a three-time U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week winner and the league's scholar-athlete of the month last September.

Felsing and the Panthers are awaiting word of their NCAA Tournament destination and first-round opponent. The pairings for the tournament will be announced Sunday afternoon.

CHLOE SMITH NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA BY ESPN THE MAGAZINE

CONWAY, Ark - University of Central Arkansas junior Chloe Smith was
named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Volleyball Second
Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Smith, the 2009 Southland Conference Player of the year, was one of 18
players selected to the All-America teams.

To be eligible for the national team, a student-athlete had to have been
selected to its District’s first team. Initial nomination criteria at
the District level includes being a starter or key reserve, maintaining
a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, reaching
sophomore athletic and academic standing at his current institution and
be nominated by their sports information director.

Smith, a native of San Diego, Calif., led the Southland and ranked 15th
with 4.46 kills per set, which was a school record. She also hit .280
with 442 kills, tied for the third most in school history.

"I am very proud of what Chloe has accomplished in the classroom," said
head coach Steven McRoberts. "Her ability to be a two-time Southland
Conference MVP, help us win an undefeated conference championship and
maintain over a 3.9 GPA is just amazing. We are blessed to have her back
for one more year. To have her name listed with players from Penn State,
Stanford, Washington, Nebraska and other national volleyball powers just
shows what kind of player she has become. This is another first for our
program this year and it is a great honor for her."


2009 ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-America® Volleyball Team (University
Division) as selected by CoSIDA

Academic All-America of the Year: Megan Hodge, Penn State

FIRST TEAM
Jessica Boulavsky, Rice (VI): Sr. Houston, Tex. ...  4.00 GPA, major(s):
psychology, pre-medicine
Kori Cooper *, Nebraska (VII): Sr. Amarillo, Tex. ... 3.81, major(s):
speech & language pathology
Molly Davis ***, SE Missouri State (VII): Sr. Muncie, Ind. ... 4.00,
major(s): sports management
Meagan Dooley, Pittsburgh II Sr. West Chester, Pa. ...  4.00, major(s):
liberal studies/special education
Megan Hodge **, Penn State (II): Sr. Durham, N.C. ... 3.45, major(s):
business management
Rachael Moss **, Duke III Sr. Cypress, Cal. 3.94 major(s): political
science

SECOND TEAM
(Name, School, District, Yr., Hometown, GPA, Major)
Sarah Cline, South Carolina (III): Sr. Rock Hill, S.C. ...  4.00 GPA,
major(s): exercise science
Jill Collymore ***, Washington VIII Sr. Bellevue, Wash. 3.77 major(s):
Honors psychology/Honors digital arts
Elizabeth Fleming, Marshall (II): Jr. Sound Bend, Ind. ... 4.00,
major(s): international affairs
Alix Klineman, Stanford ( VIII): Jr. Manhattan Beach, Cal. ... 3.53,
major(s): art
Jill Nyhof, Coastal Carolina (III): Sr. Alpharetta, Ga. ... 4.00,
major(s): political science
Chloe Smith, Central Arkansas (VI): Jr. San Diego, Calif. 3.93,
major(s): digital filmmaking

THIRD TEAM
(Name, School, District, Yr., Hometown, GPA, Major)
Sabrina Baby, N.J. Institute of Technology (II): Sr. Florianopolis,
Brazil ... 3.91 GPA, major(s): business
JuliAnne Chisholm, Kansas State (VII): Jr. Hillsboro, Kan. ... 4.00
major(s): athletic training/pre-medicine
Lauren Felsing **, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (V): Sr. Hartland, Wis. ...
3.97, major(s): marketing
Angie Porché, Valparaiso (V): Sr. Lynwood, Ill. ... 3.76, major(s):
psychology
Sarah Rumely, Kentucky (IV): Sr. New Palestine, Ind. ... 3.63, major(s):
kinesiology/exercise science
Caitlin Saxton, Rutgers (II): Jr. Encinitas, Cal. ...  4.00, major(s):
sociology

* - ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® 1st team in 2008
** - ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® 2nd team in 2008
*** - ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® 3rd team in 2008

Molly Davis Garners First Team Academic All-American^® Honors

 

Davis is named CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American^® honors for second-straight year

 

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Monday, November 23, 2009) – Redhawks volleyball player Molly Davis was named First Team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American^® for her achievements on the court and in the classroom. This is the second-straight season that Davis has been honored after garnering Third Team Academic All-American^® honors last season.

 

After becoming the first volleyball player to achieve Academic All-American^® honors last season since 2000, she becomes the first player to achieve First Team honors since Lori Kramper achieved the feat in 1988. She is also just the second player in program history to be named Academic All-American^® multiple times joining Laura Dill who was a two-time Second Team selection in 1989 and again in 1990.

 

The senior from Muncie, Indiana, the team’s starting libero since her freshman season, currently holds a perfect 4.0 grade point average in Sports Management. She finished the season ranking second in the Ohio Valley Conference in digs per set (5.30 per set) and total digs (599 digs). Her digs per set average ranks her 15^th nationally and has helped the team rank second in the nation in digs per set at 19.30.

 

Davis is the school record holder in career digs with 2,223 becoming the only player in Southeast Missouri State volleyball history to have over 2,000 career digs. Her 599 digs this season ranks 8^th on the school’s single season charts. She ranks third all-time in the OVC in career digs.

 

Davis also owns the Redhawks D-I single season record for digs with 637 set in 2007. That mark stands as third-best on the all-time single season charts. Her 540 digs that she recorded during her freshman campaign is tied for tenth on the school’s single season charts. Her dig totals from 2007 and 2006 rank seventh and 14^threspectively on the OVC’s single season digs charts.

 

Earlier this season against Ole Miss, Davis set the school single season mark for digs in a match as she finished with 39 in just four sets.

 

Davis finished her career recording double digits in digs in 120 of her 123 career matches she played in as a Redhawk. She played in every set (459 sets) possible in her career except for five.

 

This season she was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week three weeks in a row and for her career she has garnered four OVC weekly awards.

 

Academically she was named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the second-straight time last season and was a recipient of the OVC's highest academic award, the OVC Medal of Honor, for the second-straight season. She is also a three-time Southeast Scholar-Athlete honoree.

 

Davis gives the Redhawks athletic department two First Team Academic All-American^® honorees in as many seasons. Last year gymnast Sandra Blake was named to the First Team At-Large Team.

 

Davis is the only representative from the OVC on an Academic All-American Team^®. She is also just one of eight members of the 18 players honored to achieve a perfect 4.0 GPA.

 

Megan Hodge from top-ranked Penn State was named Academic All-America of the Year. Hodge and Davis were joined by Jessica Boulavsky (Rice), Kori Cooper (Nebraska), Meagan Dooley (Pittsburgh) and Rachael Moss (Duke) on the Academic All-American First Team.

 

To be eligible for Academic All-American^® status, a student-athlete must be named to their respected districts Academic All-District First Team, be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America^® honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

 

"Deep in the thoughts of mankind lies a bliss funnel of idioms that are open to the world by means of his own courage that he must navigate them with his own heart." - Anonymous

SAN DIEGO STATE’S ANDREA HANNASCH NAMED

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – San Diego State outside hitter Andrea Hannasch has been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the first time in her career.

                                             

Hannasch, a 6-2 freshman from New Braunfels, Texas, helped the Aztecs to a 1-1 record in the final week of Conference play, including a four-set win over Utah. Against the Utes, she set a career-high with 16 kills to go along with three blocks and three digs. Hannasch also tallied a hitting percentage of .500 vs. Utah, committing only two hitting errors for the match. In a four-set loss to BYU, Hannasch tied her career-best 16-kill total, while tallying two blocks, two digs and one assist.

 

On the week, Hannasch averaged 4.00 kills, 0.62 digs, 0.62 blocks and 4.50 points per set, while hitting .436 (32-8-55).

 

 

MWC Volleyball Players of the Week:

Aug. 31                 Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Sept. 7                   Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Sept. 14                 Nichole Stillwell, Jr., MH/MB, Air Force

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Sept. 21                 Kayla Walker, Sr., RS, BYU

Sept. 28                 Cursty Jackson, So., MB, UNLV

                                Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Oct. 5                     Ashley Rhoades, So., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Oct. 12                   Karolina Bartkowiak, Jr., OPP, Utah

Oct. 19                   Kyley Sexton, So., OH, San Diego State

Oct. 26                   Megan Munce, So., S, TCU

Nov. 2                   Anna Lehne, Sr., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Nov. 9                   Anna Lehne, Sr., MB, New Mexico

                                Kourtney Edwards, Sr., MB, TCU

Nov. 16                 Danielle Minch, Jr., OH, Colorado State

Nov. 23                 Andrea Hannasch, Fr., OH, San Diego State

 

 

--mwc--

 

 Sarah Rumely Named Academic All-American

Senior on third team of ESPN The Magazine list

 

TOWSON, Md.  –  Senior setter Sarah Rumely was tabbed a third-team Academic All-American by ESPN The Magazine it was announced on Monday afternoon. This is the first such honor of Rumely’s career, and she becomes the fourth Academic All-America selection in school history.

 

Rumely was previously honored as a first time Academic All-District selection for two consecutive seasons, but this is the first time she has earned All-America status. She is a three time member of one of the Academic All-District teams. The senior from New Palestine, Ind., becomes just the fourth Academic All-American in school history. Previously April Barnhorst (2001), Lisa Bokovoy (1988) and Jill Ackerman (1986) were honored.

 

UK’s senior setter holds a cumulative grade point average of 3.63 with a major in Kinesiology and she is set to graduate in the spring of 2010.

 

Rumely has won countless awards throughout her career. As a junior, she was tabbed UK’s seventh All-American after winning SEC Player of the Year honors. Three times she has been honored as an All-SEC Academic team member and she is also a two-time All-SEC player. On the court, she is Kentucky’s all-time career leader in assists (5,514) and aces (162). She also is among the leaders in sets played (470), hitting percentage (.288), block assists (303) and digs (976).

 

UK’s senior is one of just two SEC players to earn Academic All-America status. South Carolina’s Sarah Cline was a second-team member.

 

To be eligible for the national team, a student athlete had to have been selected to its District’s first team. Initial nomination criteria at the District level includes being a varsity starter or key reserve, maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and has sophomore athletic and academic standing at her current institution.

 

UK wraps up the regular season in Knoxville on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Match time is set for a 7 p.m. ET start.

 

For the most up-to-date news, highlights and features about the Kentucky volleyball team please visit UKathletics.com.

 

‑ GO CATS ‑

2009 MOUNTAIN WEST ALL-CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL TEAM ANNOUNCED

Colorado State’s Danielle Minch named Player of the Year and Wyoming’s Jodi Purdy voted Freshman of the Year.

 

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West All-Conference Volleyball awards as selected by the league's nine head coaches were announced today. Colorado State junior Danielle Minch was named Player of the Year, while Wyoming’s Jodi Purdy was voted Freshman of the Year, and Tom Hilbert of Colorado State was selected Coach of the Year.

 

Minch, a native of Sterling, Colo., earned her first player of the year honor after leading Colorado State to its sixth outright regular-season championship. Minch finished the regular season leading the league in kills per set in Conference matches (3.80). She also ranks second in the MWC in kills (3.77) and points per set (4.16) in overall matches, and finished Conference play ranking third in points per set (4.16). Minch has tallied double-digit kills in 19 matches this season and was honored as the MWC Player of the Week on November 16.

 

Purdy, an outside hitter from Winterset, Iowa, earned MWC Freshman of the Year accolades after completing the season ranked third in kills per set (3.43) and fourth in points per set (3.90) in overall matches. She also finished ninth in service aces per set in all matches (0.24). In league play, Purdy ranked fourth in kills per set (3.32) and fourth in points per set (3.71). She also ranked in the top-15 in digs per set in overall and Conference matches (2.53 and 2.63, respectively). Purdy is the top-rated MWC freshman in kills and points per set in both overall and league matches. She also tallied double-figure kills in 23 of 31 matches played this season and averaged 0.42 blocks per set.

 

Hilbert was named MWC Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career. He led the 23^rd-ranked Rams to their sixth outright and seventh overall MWC regular-season title with a 15-1 Conference record. Hilbert also guided Colorado State to its 11th 20-win season as members of the MWC.

 

BYU’s Kayla Walker, Colorado State’s Tessa Nelson, New Mexico’s Jade Michaelsen, San Diego State’s Lauren Salisbury, TCU’s Christy Hudson, and Utah’s Karolina Bartkowiak were repeat selections from last year. Colorado State’s Katelin Batten, Danielle Minch, Megan Plourde and Evan Sanders were joined on the squad by New Mexico’s Taylor Hadfield and Rose Morris, TCU’s Katelyn Blackwood, Kourtney Edwards and Megan Munce, UNLV’s Cursty Jackson, and Utah’s Chelsey Sandberg as first-time honorees.

 

 

 

2009 MOUNTAIN WEST ALL-CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL TEAM

 

                                                                                    Name                                    School              Class     Position                Hometown

                                                                                    Kayla Walker!                    BYU                   Sr.           OH                         Kaysville, Utah

                                                                                    Danielle Minch                  CSU                   Jr.            OH                         Sterling, Colo.

                                                                                    Tessa Nelson!                     CSU                   Sr.           MB                         Balaton, Minn.

                                                                                    Megan Plourde                  CSU                   RS-Fr.    MB                         Somerset, Wis.

                                                                                    Evan Sanders                     CSU                   So.          S                              Lafayette, Colo.

                                                                                    Taylor Hadfield                 UNM                 Jr.            MB                         Corte Madera, Calif.

                                                                                    Jade Michaelsen!               UNM                 Jr.            S                              Tucson, Ariz.

                                                                                    Rose Morris                         UNM                 Sr.           OH                         Albuquerque, N.M.

                                                                                    Lauren Salisbury!             SDSU                 Jr.            MB                         Southlake, Texas

                                                                                    Katelyn Blackwood          TCU                   Sr.           L                             Houston, Texas

                                                                                    Kourtney Edwards           TCU                   Sr.           MB                         Haltom City, Texas

                                                                                    Christy Hudson!               TCU                   Jr.            RS                           Yorba Linda, Calif.

                                                                                    Cursty Jackson                   UNLV               So.          MB                         Los Angeles, Calif.

                                                                                    Karolina Bartkowiak!      Utah                  Jr.            OPP                       Aurora, Ill.

                                                                                    Chelsey Sandberg             Utah                  Sr.           MB                         West Jordan, Utah

 

                                                                                    Setter – Megan Munce, TCU                                     So.          Costa Mesa, Calif.

                                                                                    Libero – Katelin Batten, Colorado State Sr.           Parker, Colo.

 

 

                                                                          Player of the Year

                                                                          Danielle Minch, Colorado State

 

                                                                          Freshman of the Year

                                                                          Jodi Purdy, Wyoming

 

                                                                          Coach of the Year

                                                                          Tom Hilbert, Colorado State

 

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