University of Tennessee Athletics
ANDRE NAMED SECOND TEAM AVCA ALL-AMERICAN
December 14, 2005 | Volleyball
Dec. 14, 2005
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Senior middle blocker Kristen Andre (Kelseyville, Calif.) of the University of Tennessee volleyball team earned recognition on Wednesday as a member of the AVCA Division I All-America Second Team. She was honored on the national stage as a junior as well, earning Honorable Mention accolades.
Also receiving accolades today were senior setter Julie Knytych (LaGrange Park, Ill.) and sophomore outside hitter Yuliya Stoyanova (Sofia, Bulgaria), who each attained Honorable Mention recognition.
Andre is the fourth Lady Vol in history to be honored as a member of either the First, Second or Third Teams. Previous honorees include Knytych (Third Team - 2004), April Chapple (Second Team - 1984) and Beverly Robinson (First Team - 1982).
The Kelseyville, Calif., native is setting the pace for the Lady Vols in hitting percentage at .365, the second-highest average in the SEC and fourth-highest in Tennessee annals. Her 3.52 kills/game average ranks Andre second on the squad in that category. She has 1.07 blocks/game as well, also the second-highest Lady Vol average. Andre has been named First Team All-SEC and was honored as SEC Player of the Week on three occasions (Oct. 3, 24 and 31). She earned mention to the SEC Good Works Team this season and was honored as a member of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 4 Second Team.
Knytych has had a spectacular year, having compiled 1,408 assists on the season. Her season average of 12.24/game places her third among SEC setters. She is finishing her career very high on the SEC all-time career assists chart as her current total of 5,767 places her third. She has been named to the All-SEC Tournament and All-State College Regional Teams. Knytych also earned Second Team All-SEC accolades and was named SEC Player of the Week once (Nov. 14). Last season, she was honored as an AVCA All-America Third Team member.
Stoyanova has had an outstanding season and is setting the Lady Vol pace in kills/game at 4.01, the seventh-highest average among league players. The All-SEC First Team member started her season impressively, performing at a high level at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic from Sept. 9-10 and earned CVU.com National Player of the Week honors for her efforts (5.78 kills/game and a .450 hitting percentage). Last season, she was named the AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year.
The three have helped lead the Lady Vols to their first NCAA National Semifinal appearance in school history along with four wins over teams ranked in the top 10 nationally. Tennessee entered the season with just four wins all-time against elite foes.
Andre, Knytych, Stoyanova and the Lady Vols will take on No. 3 Washington (30-1) at 6 p.m. CST on Thursday in a NCAA National Semifinal contest. That match will be shown live on ESPNU and on a tape-delay basis on ESPN2 (10 p.m.). The winner moves on the National Championship match, which will be played at 5 p.m. on Saturday. That contest can be seen live on ESPN2.
2005 AVCA ALL-AMERICA TEAMS ANNOUNCED FOR DIVISION I WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
SAN ANTONIO - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to announce the 25th annual AVCA Division I All-America Teams for women's volleyball. The awards will be presented Dec. 16, 2005, at the AVCA All-America/Players of the Year Banquet at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter Hotel.
Each of the three AVCA All-America Teams is comprised of 12 athletes. The AVCA National Player of the Year will be announced on Dec. 16 at the AVCA All-America/Players of the Year Banquet .
Nebraska senior middle blocker Melissa Elmer and Penn State senior setter Sam Tortorello return to the first team and now are three-time AVCA All-Americans . Arizona senior outside hitter Kim Glass, Southern California outside hitter Bibiana Candelas and Hawai'i junior setter Kanoe Kamana'o earned their third AVCA All-America award.
The selections are made by the AVCA Division I All-America Committee: chair -Pi'i Aiu, Colorado; John Dunning, Stanford; Laura Farina, Auburn, Burt Fuller, Utah State; Barry Goldberg, American; Nancy Mueller, Illinois-Chicago; Jolene Nagel, Duke; and Mark Rosen, Michigan. The AVCA Awards Chair is New Hampshire Head Coach Jill Hirschinger.
2005 AVCA DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA FIRST-TEAM
| Player | Institution | Pos. | Yr. | Ht. | Hometown |
| Jane Collymore @ | University of Florida | OH | Sr. | 6-0 | Englewood, Colorado |
| Melissa Elmer ^$ | University of Nebraska | MB | Sr. | 6-2 | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Kim Glass !& | University of Arizona | OH | Sr. | 6-4 | Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
| Christina Houghtelling | University of Nebraska | RS/Opp | Jr. | 6-2 | Cambridge, Nebraska |
| Lindsey Hunter # | University of Missouri | S | Sr. | 5-10 | Papillion, Nebraska |
| Laura Jones # | Texas A&M University | OH | Sr. | 6-2 | Arlington, Texas |
| Sarah Pavan ^ | University of Nebraska | RS/Opp | So. | 6-5 | Kitchener, Ontario, Canada |
| Cassie Perret | Santa Clara University | RS/Opp | Sr. | 6-1 | Menlo Park, California |
| Kristin Richards | Stanford University | OH | Jr. | 6-0 | Orem, Utah |
| Courtney Thompson ^ | University of Washington | S | Jr. | 5-7 | Kent, Washington |
| Sanja Tomasevic $ | University of Washington | OH | Sr. | 6-1 | Uzice, Serbia & Montenegro |
| Sam Tortorello ^$ | Penn State University | S | Sr. | 5-11 | Shorewood, Illinois |
2005 AVCA DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA SECOND- TEAM
| Player | Institution | Pos. | Yr. | Ht. | Hometown |
| Foluke Akinradewo | Stanford University | MB | Fr. | 6-3 | Plantation, Florida |
| Kristen Andre | University of Tennessee | MB | Sr. | 6-1 | Kelseyville, California |
| Leticia Armstrong | University of Texas | MB | So. | 6-1 | Elkhart, Indiana |
| Lauren Brewster @ | University of Notre Dame | MB | Sr. | 6-3 | Brentwood, Tennessee |
| Bibiana Candelas @* | Univ. of Southern California | OH | Sr. | 6-5 | Torreon, Mexico |
| Nicole Fawcett | Penn State University | OH | Fr. | 6-4 | Zanesfield, Ohio |
| Jennifer Hoffman | University of Louisville | MB | Sr. | 6-1 | Chicago, Illinois |
| Candace Lee | University of Washington | Lib/DS | Sr. | 5-7 | Eugene, Oregon |
| Marisa Main # | The Ohio State University | S | Jr. | 5-9 | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Victoria Prince # | University of Hawai'i | MB | Sr. | 6-0 | Kennewick, Washington |
| Lena Ustymenko | University of Louisville | OH | Sr. | 6-3 | Kiev, Ukraine |
| Melissa Walbridge | Penn State University | MB | So. | 6-3 | Yardley, Pennsylvania |
2005 AVCA DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA THIRD- TEAM
| Player | Institution | Pos. | Yr. | Ht. | Hometown |
| Jennifer Abernathy | University of Arizona | OH | Sr. | 5-11 | Antioch, California |
| Anna Cmaylo | Santa Clara University | MB | So. | 6-4 | Napa, California |
| Kanoe Kamana'o ^! | University of Hawai'i | S | Jr. | 5-8 | Honolulu, Hawai'i |
| Bryn Kehoe | Stanford University | S | So. | 5-11 | North Bend, Ohio |
| Brandy Magee | University of Texas | MB | Jr. | 6-2 | Mission Viejo, California |
| Crystal Matich | Santa Clara University | S | So. | 5-11 | Forestville, California |
| Angie McGinnis | University of Florida | S | So. | 5-11 | Fraser, Michigan |
| Nana Meriwether | UCLA | MB | Jr. | 6-1 | Potomac, Maryland |
| Danielle Meyer | The Ohio State University | MB | So. | 6-1 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Christal Morrison # | University of Washington | OH | So. | 6-2 | Puyallup, Washington |
| Jennifer Saleaumua # | University of Nebraska | OH | Sr. | 5-11 | National City, California |
| Sheila Shaw | University of Wisconsin | MB | Sr. | 6-0 | Muskego, Wisconsin |
^ indicates 2004 AVCA First-Team All-America selection
* indicates 2003 AVCA First-Team All-America selection
# indicates 2004 AVCA Second-Team All-America selection
$ indicates 2003 AVCA Second-Team All-America selection
@ indicates 2004 AVCA Third-Team All-America selection
! indicates 2003 AVCA Third-Team All-America selection
2005 AVCA Division I Freshman of the Year: Nicole Fawcett (Penn State University, Outside Hitter)
2005 AVCA Division I Player of the Year : Announced at AVCA
All-America/Players of the Year Banquet on Dec. 16, 2005
AVCA All-America Honorable Mention
Megan Argabright (Western Kentucky, MB, Fr.)
Faye Barhorst (Dayton, MB, Jr.)
Kelly-Anne Billingy (Marshall, RS/Opp, So.)
Elizabeth Bishop (Cornell, OH, Jr.)
Caron Blotch (Western Kentucky, S, Sr.)
Abbey Breit (Jacksonville State, MB, So.)
Blair Buchanan (Albany, S, Jr.)
Zuzana Cernianska (Utah State, OH, Sr.)
Alexis Crimes (Long Beach State, MB, So.)
Renata Dargan (Purdue, S, Sr.)
Christie Dawson (San Diego, RS/Opp, Jr.)
Carrie DeMange (Duke, MB, So.)
Andreya Downs (Colorado State, MB, Sr.)
Kelly Duan (Syracuse, RS/Opp, Sr.)
Lauren Evans (Brigham Young University, S, Sr.)
Liz Guard (Eastern Kentucky, MB, Sr.)
Paula Gentil (Minnesota, DS/Lib, Sr.)
Jaci Gonzalez (Houston, DS/Lib, Sr.)
Allie Griffin (Colorado, RS/Opp, Sr.)
Christa Harmotto (Penn State, MB, Fr.)
Lindsy Hartstock (Brigham Young, MB, Jr.)
Ali Hausfeld (Duke, S, So.)
Karla Johnson (Miami [Fla.], OH, Sr.)
Lauren Kelbley (Notre Dame, OH, Sr.)
Nickole Kennedy (Cleveland State, RS/Opp, Sr.)
Kisya Killingsworth (Florida, MB, So.)
Sarah Kirkwood (Virginia, OH, So.)
Julie Knytych (Tennessee, S, Sr.)
Ivana Kuzmic (LSU, MB, Sr.)
Lindsey Laband (Georgia Tech, S, Sr.)
Andressa Lyra (Middle Tennessee, OH, Jr.)
Amanda McCormick (Ball State, DS/Lib, Jr.)
Megan McGrane (Pittsburgh, DS/Lib, Sr.)
Michelle Moriarty (Texas, S, So.)
Jessie Nevitt (Cincinnati, MB, Fr.)
Dani Nyenhuis (North Carolina, OH, Sr.)
Kim Oguh (New Mexico State, MB, So.)
Alexandra Oquendo (Georgia, MB, Sr.)
Kelly Paiva (Florida Atlantic, OH, Sr.)
Olaya Pazo (Rice, OH, Sr.)
Sara Radosevic (Tulane, OH, Fr.)
Rachel Refenes (Ball State, MB, Sr.)
Kariny Ritter (Houston, OH, Sr.)
Salaia Salave'a (Nevada, MB, Sr.)
Janine Sandell (UC Santa Barbara, OH, Jr.)
Andreza Santos (Florida State, OH, Sr.)
Becca Sartori (Houston, MB, Jr.)
Francheska Savage (Miami [Fla.], MB, Jr.)
Jenny Shull (Duke, DS/Lib, So.)
Julia Silva (Tulsa, S, So.)
Stephanie Smith (Maryland, MB, Sr.)
Shelly Sommerfeldt (Utah, OH, Sr.)
Kari Stacy (Texas-El Paso, OH, Sr.)
Adrianna Stasiuk (Notre Dame, OH, So.)
Katie Stein (Marshall, S, Sr.)
Yuliya Stoyanova (Tennessee, OH, So.)
Elif Unlu (UNC Asheville, OH, Jr.)
Jessica Vander Kooi (Missouri, RS/Opp, Jr.)
Amanda Vazquez (UC Irvine, MB, Sr.)
Rachel Wagener (Maryland, MB, Sr.)
Kaleena Walters (Penn State, DS/Lib, Sr.)
Nicole Wilson (Missouri, MB, Jr.)
Julia Winkfield (Ohio, MB, Sr.)
Ana Yartseva (Louisville, MB, Jr.)
AVCA All-America First-Team
Jane Collymore, a 6-0 senior outside hitter for University of Florida, earned her second AVCA All-America honor after leading the Gators to the NCAA Division I Tournament regional final. She was named the SEC Most Valuable Player. Collymore averaged 4.57 kills, 3.00 digs, 0.60 blocks and 0.48 aces per game.
Melissa Elmer, a 6-2 senior middle blocker for University of Nebraska, is a three-time AVCA All-American. She leads the nation with a 2.18 block average and is the all-time Big 12 and school block leader. Elmer averages 2.64 kills per game with a .387 attack percentage.
Kim Glass, a 6-4 senior outside hitter for University of Arizona, led the Pac-10 in points and kills average with 6.30 points and 5.39 kills per game. She added 3.01 digs and 0.39 aces per game while hitting .263. Glass is a three-time AVCA All-American and the Wildcats' all-time career-kills leader.
Christina Houghtelling, a 6-2 junior right side/opposite hitter for University of Nebraska, ranks among the Big 12 leaders in hitting percentage and kills per game. She attacks at a .375 percentage with averages of 3.71 kills and 1.00 blocks per game. Houghtelling has hit .400 or better in 18 of 33 matches.
Lindsey Hunter, a 5-10 senior setter for University of Missouri, is a two-time AVCA All-America honoree as she led the Big 12 in assists for the fourth year. She paced the Tigers to a .299 attack percentage while averaging 2.40 digs, 0.50 blocks and 0.94 kills. Hunter finished her career sixth all-time in NCAA Division I in assist average.
Laura Jones, a 6-2 senior outside hitter for Texas A&M, is a two-time AVCA All-American as she averaged a 2005 national-leading and school-record 6.09 kills per game. She broke the school single-season kill mark by 133 kills. Jones completed her career with 33 Aggie school records.
Sarah Pavan, a 6-5 sophomore right side/opposite hitter for University of Nebraska, is a two-time AVCA All-American and the 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year. She has paced the Huskers with 3.78 kills and 1.26 blocks per game. Pavan is hitting .351 and ranks among the Big 12 top 10 in five categories.
Cassie Perret, a 6-1 senior right side/opposite hitter for Santa Clara University, was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. She attacks at a .370 percentage with averages of 3.22 kills, 0.82 blocks and 2.20 digs per game. Perret has paced the Broncos to their first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament semifinal appearance.
Kristin Richards, a 6-0 junior outside hitter for Stanford University, led the Cardinal with 544 kills, sixth best in school history. She hit .272 for the season with 28 double-digit kill matches, including a career-best 35 kills versus Southern California. Richards averaged 4.90 kills per game for third-best in the Pac-10.
Courtney Thompson, a 5-7 junior setter for University of Washington, has led the Huskies to a national-leading .341 team attack percentage. She averages a national-leading 14.83 assists per game. Thompson, a two-time AVCA All-American, adds 2.44 digs and 0.59 blocks per game.
Sanja Tomasevic, a 6-1 senior outside hitter for University of Washington, contributes 4.53 kills, 1.12 blocks, 2.68 digs and 0.32 aces per game. She hits .360 for the NCAA Division I Tournament national semifinalist Huskies. Tomasevic, a two-time AVCA All-American, has 1,000-career kills and digs.
Sam Tortorello, a 5-11 senior setter for Penn State, led the Nittany Lions to a 31-3 overall record and undefeated Big Ten season. She set Penn State to a .307 team attack percentage as she averaged 13.37 assists, 2.48 digs, 0.84 blocks and 1.03 kills per game. Tortorello is a three-time AVCA All-American with 6,085-career assists.
AVCA Division I Second-Team All-America Bios
Foluke Akinradewo, a 6-3 freshman middle blocker for Stanford University, ranks 10th in the nation in attack percentage at .397. She averaged 3.92 kills and 1.09 blocks per game with double-digit kills in 26 matches. Akinradewo hit .400 or better in 15 matches, including a season-high .720 versus Utah State.
Kristen Andre, a 6-1 senior middle blocker for University of Tennessee, has helped the Lady Vols to their first-ever national semifinal appearance. She attacks at a .365 percentage with 3.52 kills per game, including 33 kills versus Florida on Oct. 30. On defense, Andre provides 1.07 blocks per game.
Leticia Armstrong, a 6-1 middle blocker for University of Texas, averaged 1.36 blocks per game to lead the Longhorns into the NCAA Division I Tournament second round. She finished the season hitting .356 with 3.19 kills per game. Armstrong ranked among the top 10 in Big 12 matches in four different categories.
Lauren Brewster, a 6-3 senior middle blocker for University of Notre Dame, is a two-time AVCA All-American. She hit .310 for the season with a team-leading 3.84 kills per game. Brewster helped the Fighting Irish reach the NCAA Division I Tournament regional semifinals with 1.63 blocks per game.
Bibiana Candelas, a 6-5 senior outside hitter for University of Southern California, averaged 4.91 kills, 1.17 digs and 0.91 blocks per game. She ranks second in the Pac-10 in points average with 5.64 per game. Candelas, a three-time AVCA All-American, posted a career-high 36 kills versus Stanford on Nov. 26.
Nicole Fawcett, a 6-4 freshman outside hitter for Penn State, averaged 4.51 kills per game while hitting .309. She contributed 1.80 digs and 0.80 blocks per game on defense. In her first postseason appearance, Fawcett set a NCAA Division I Tournament record with a .889 attack percentage versus Long Island.
Jennifer Hoffman, a 6-1 senior middle blocker for University of Louisville, charted a team-leading 1.63 blocks per game for eighth-best in NCAA Division I. She added a national-best .445 attack percentage. Hoffman averaged 2.78 kills per game as the Cardinals reached the Sweet 16.
Candace Lee, a 5-7 senior libero for University of Washington, averages 4.94 digs per game in helping the Huskies hit .341 as a team. She has helped the Washington defense limit opponents to a .133 team attack percentage. Lee ranks second in the Pac-10 for career digs with 2,012.
Marisa Main, a 5-9 junior setter for The Ohio State University, averaged 12.43 assists, 1.96 kills, 2.34 digs and 0.63 blocks per game. She produced five triple-doubles this season with four coming in Big Ten action. Main, a two-time AVCA All-American, ranked second in Big Ten matches for attack percentage.
Victoria Prince, a 6-0 senior middle blocker for University of Hawai'i, contributed a team-leading 1.56 blocks per game. She tallied a team-best .402 attack percentage with 3.26 kills per game. Prince, a two-time AVCA All-American, contributed 0.39 aces per game for the Rainbow Wahine.
Lena Ustymenko, a 6-3 senior outside hitter for University of Louisville, helped the Cardinals to the NCAA Division I regional semifinal round. She hit .335 with 5.30 kills, 2.74 digs and 0.56 blocks per game. Ustymenko was named the BIG EAST Player of the Year and finished her career atop the Louisville kill chart.
Melissa Walbridge, a 6-3 sophomore middle blocker for Penn State, charted 1.48 blocks per game in her first collegiate season. She averaged 2.64 kills with a NCAA Division I sixth-best .413 attack percentage. Walbridge was selected to the All-Big Ten Team and hit .449 in league matches.
AVCA Division I Third-Team All-America Bios
Jennifer Abernathy, a 5-11 senior outside hitter for University of Arizona, averaged 4.79 points and 4.07 kills for second-best on the team. She contributed 3.35 digs and 0.36 aces per game as she landed on the All-Pac 10 for the first time. Abernathy posted 17 double-doubles this season.
Anna Cmaylo, a 6-4 sophomore middle blocker for Santa Clara University, averages 3.26 kills and 1.17 blocks per game. She attacks at a .370 clip for the Broncos. Cmaylo has 19 double-digit kill matches in helping the Broncos to their first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament semifinal appearance.
Kanoe Kamana'o, a 5-8 junior setter for University of Hawai'i, is a three-time AVCA All-American as she set the Rainbow Wahine to a .280 attack percentage. She averaged 13.85 assists, 1.02 blocks and 2.69 digs per game. Kamana'o helped Hawai'i reach the NCAA Division I Tournament regional semifinals.
Bryn Kehoe, a 5-11 sophomore setter for Stanford University, averaged 13.14 assists per game. She ranked third in NCAA Division I in assist average before suffering a broken hand forcing her to miss seven matches. Kehoe set the Cardinal to a top-five national ranking for most of the year.
Brandy Magee, a 6-2 junior middle blocker for University of Texas, led the Longhorns in attack percentage with a .377 mark. She averaged 3.24 kills and 1.10 blocks per game. Magee finished the Big 12 season ranked in four different categories.
Crystal Matich, a 5-11 sophomore setter for Santa Clara University, has set the Broncos to a .288 team attack percentage. She averages 13.98 assists, 1.82 digs, 0.42 aces and 0.94 kills per game. Matich directs an offense with five players averaging over 2.80 kills per game.
Angie McGinnis, a 5-11 sophomore setter for University of Florida, set the Gators to a .301 team attack percentage. She contributed 13.46 assists, 1.21 kills, 2.35 digs and 0.58 blocks per game. McGinnis hit .409 individually and broke school setter records for kills and hitting efficiency in a season.
Nana Meriwether, a 6-1 junior middle blocker for UCLA, averages 1.73 blocks and 3.05 kills per game. She has attacked at a .380 percentage to lead the Bruins. Meriwether contributed a school-record 17 blocks in an upset of Washington on Nov. 12, one week after tallying 16 blocks versus Oregon.
Danielle Meyer, a 6-1 sophomore middle blocker for The Ohio State University, averaged team-highs of 5.33 points, 4.49 kills and 1.01 blocks per game. She was second on the team in digs per game at 2.42. Meyer produced double-digit kills in 25 matches this season with 11 double-figure dig matches.
Christal Morrison, a 6-2 sophomore outside hitter for University of Washington, provides the Huskies with 4.30 kills, 2.27 digs, 0.71 blocks and 0.52 aces per game. She attacks at a .343 percentage. Morrison, a two-time AVCA All-American, has 24 matches with at least 10 kills and eight double-doubles.
Jennifer Saleaumua, a 5-11 senior outside hitter for University of Nebraska, is a two-time AVCA All-America selection and four-time All-Big 12 selection. She is averaging 2.28 kills, 3.82 digs and 0.77 blocks per game. Saleaumua is one of two players in school history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
Sheila Shaw, a 6-0 senior middle blocker for University of Wisconsin, contributed a .325 attack percentage for the Badgers. She helped Wisconsin reach the NCAA Division I Tournament regional final in 2005. Shaw averaged 2.91 kills, 1.49 blocks and 0.30 aces per game.
