University of Tennessee Athletics
Kelsey Robinson Claims SEC Volleyball Freshman of the Week Accolades
October 11, 2010 | Volleyball
Oct. 11, 2010
By Cameron Harris, Assistant Media Relations Director
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Lady Vol freshman Kelsey Robinson's debut in the libero jersey last weekend was quite the success as she tallied 51 digs in the team's two contests and was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. She is the fourth Tennessee freshman to earn the weekly honors since the award's inception in 2005.
The last UT player to claim the conference's weekly freshman accolades was Kelsey Mahoney on Oct. 20, 2008. Nikki Fowler also earned the honors three times in 2007 after Milan Clarke was the first UT player to pick up the league laurels in 2005.
In the first two starts of her career at the libero position, Robinson surpassed the 20-dig mark in both contests, averaging a stellar 5.67 digs per frame as Tennessee split a pair of hard-fought SEC contests on the road. Primarily an outside hitter earlier in the season, Bartlett, Ill., native donned the libero jersey for the first time this weekend as she continues to recover from an ankle sprain.
Robinson finished with totals of 51 digs, eight assists and two aces over the span of the two matches. She was also one of the team's top passers, successfully handling 97.3 percent of the serves that came her way with just two reception errors in 74 attempts.
In Tennessee's come-from-behind victory over Arkansas on Friday, Robinson scooped up a career-high 27 attacks. That also marked the highest dig total by a Lady Vol this season, with the previous high being Robinson's 16 scoops against Xavier in the season opener on Aug. 27.
Robinson followed up that performance with another strong effort in UT's tough, four-set loss at LSU on Sunday, notching 24 digs to go along with a pair of aces and three assists. Despite missing almost three entire matches due to injury, Robinson still ranks second on the team with 171 total digs and leads the squad with an average of 3.29 digs per set this season.
Robinson and the Lady Vol volleyball team will return home to the friendly confines of Thompson-Boling Arena next weekend, when they host Mississippi State and Alabama. The Big Orange will welcome the Bulldogs to Rocky Top for a 7 p.m. contest on Friday, Oct. 15 before taking on the Crimson Tide two days later at 1:30 p.m.
