Vansant, Rowland Earn Top Pac-12 Honors
November 29, 2011 | Volleyball
Nov. 29, 2011
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - The Pac-12 Conference announced its postseason volleyball awards today, with Washington senior Bianca Rowland earning a coveted spot on the All-Pac-12 team, and Krista Vansant winning the conference's Freshman of the Year award. The awards are based on a vote by the Pac-12 head coaches.
Rowland, the King's High grad from Lynnwood, moves up to the 14-player All-Pac-12 Team for the first time in her career, after she was named an honorable mention the past two seasons. Vansant was named an honorable mention for the overall team, while she headlines the seven-player Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. Teammate Summer Ross earned honorable mention on the All-Freshman Team as well.
Vansant is just the second Husky to earn the top freshman honor, joining Christal Morrison who won in 2004. She and Ross are also the first Huskies on the All-Freshman Team since Rowland in 2008.
Rowland finished the regular season second in the Pac-12 and sixth in the NCAA with 1.50 blocks per set, and has moved up to fourth in UW school history with 478 total blocks. After a slow start to the season offensively, Rowland has been on fire for more than a month, raising her attack percentage up to .348, sixth in the Pac-12. Her career .387 attack percentage is second in school history.
A native of Redlands, California, Vansant was the No. 1 recruit in the country a year ago according to numerous publications, and she stepped in to shoulder the bulk of Washington's offense in her first year. She ranks 10th in the Pac-12 in kills per set with 3.55, tops among freshmen, and she is sixth in the league in aces per set with 0.24. Her 2.35 digs per set also ranks second on the team. Vansant leads UW with seven double-doubles this year, and three times was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, more than any other player.
Ross earned honorable mention All-Freshman Team after transitioning well from the beach in her first season. The Carlsbad, Calif. native is the only freshman, and only outside hitter, in the top-10 in the conference in blocks, as she is ninth with 1.10 blocks per set. She also ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in aces with 0.26 per set. Her 158 kills this year is fifth on the team, and she is third with 2.18 digs per set while serving as one of UW's primary passers on the opponent's service.
The Huskies finished tied for fourth in the Pac-12 with a 15-7 league record, 23-7 overall. UW qualified for the NCAA tournament for the 10th year in a row, and will open up this Friday against Western Michigan in Minneapolis.
2011 PAC-12 WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL AWARD WINNERS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
-- ALEX JUPITER, USCFRESHMAN OF THE YEAR -- Krista Vansant, WASHINGTON
SETTER OF THE YEAR -- KENDALL BATEMAN, USC
LIBERO OF THE YEAR -- NATALIE HAGGLUND, USC
COACH OF THE YEAR -- MICK HALEY, USC
2011 ALL-PAC-12 WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM
PLAYER, TEAM POS. HT. YR. HOMETOWN
Kendall Bateman, USC S 5-11 SR Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Alaina Bergsma, ORE OH 6-3 JR Chandler, Ariz.
Meagan Ganzer, WSU OH 6-3 SR Black Diamond, Wash.
Natalie Hagglund, USC L 5-9 SO Encinitas, Calif.
Cursty Jackson, ARIZ MB 6-2 SR Los Angeles, Calif.
Alex Jupiter, USC*** OH 6-3 SR Paris, France
Rachael Kidder, UCLA OH 6-3 JR Moorpark, Calif.
Tarah Murrey, CAL** OH 6-3 SR El Cerrito, Calif.
Lauren Plum, ORE S 5-9 SO Poway, Calif.
Kelly Reeves, UCLA OH 6-0 SO San Diego, Calif.
Bianca Rowland, WASH MB 6-0 SR Lynwood, Wash.
Lauren Williams, USC** MB 6-4 SR Houston, Texas
Rachel Williams, STAN OH 6-0 SO Los Gatos, Calif.
Carly Wopat, STAN MB 6-2 SO Santa Barbara, Calif.
** two-time selection
*** three-time selection
Honorable Mention: Kat Brown, CAL; Karissa Cook, STAN; Katie Fuller, USC; Lainey Gera, UCLA; Shannon Hawari, CAL; Correy Johnson, CAL; Courtney Karst, ARIZ; Tabi Love, UCLA; Arica Nassar, OSU; Robin Rostratter, CAL; Camille Saxton, OSU; Lauren Van Orden, UCLA; Krista Vansant, WASH; Ariana Williams, ORE.
2011 PAC-12 ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
PLAYER, TEAM POS. HT. HOMETOWN
Lydia Bai, STAN OH 6-2 Irvine, Calif.
Liz Brenner, ORE OH 6-1 Portland, Ore.
Christina Higgins, CAL OH 6-2 Inglewood, Calif.
Madison Kingdon, ARIZ OH 6-1 Phoenix, Ariz.
Chloe Mathis, ARIZ S 5-11 La Jolla, Calif.
Arica Nassar, OSU OH/MB 6-1 Menifee, Calif.
Krista Vansant, WASH OH 6-2 Redlands, Calif.
Honorable Mention: Zoe Nightingale, UCLA; Summer Ross, WASH; Chelsey Schofield, UTAH; Hannah Schraer, USC; Nora Tuioti-Mariner, ASU.
