
Player Bio: Vanessa Gilliam - University of Washington Official Athletic Site
April 18, 2013 | Volleyball

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Vanessa Gilliam will once again challenge for a starting spot at outside hitter ... a hard hitter, who can put the ball away ... also can play defense and possesses a tough jump serve ... working on more consistency in her hitting.
At Washington:
2001 (Freshman):
Played in 18 of the team's first 19 matches, logging 14 starts before suffering a season-ending injury at Stanford on October 19 ... broke her left hand while blocking in the team's loss to the eventual national champion Cardinal ... averaged 2.41 kills per game, fourth-best on the team ... 1.36 digs per game and 0.62 blocks per game ... tallied eight kills in her collegiate debut on August 31, versus No. 11 Brigham Young ... reached double-digit kills in her second career match, tagging 13 in a four-game win over Purdue ... made first collegiate start in final match of the Point Huskies Invitational against Texas ... double-digit kills for the second straight match with 11 on 34 attempts ... season-high three service aces in the team's easy win over Illinois-Chicago on September 7 ... missed first match of the season at Air Force on September 8 ... had 10 kills and season-best five blocks in the Pac-10 opening win versus California ... reached double digits for the first time in digs with 12 in the team's first match with Stanford ... recorded seven kills in each of her next three matches, including a .312 hitting percentage in the three-game win over Idaho ... tied for the team lead with 12 kills against No. 3 USC ... had her best match of the season at Arizona State, helping the Huskies defeat the Sun Devils for the first time since 1998 ... tallied a team high 21 kills to go with 10 digs for her first double-double of the season ... her 21 kills were the fourth-most in a match by a Husky in 2002 ... contributed 22.5 points in the match at ASU ... followed that performance up with two straight matches with double-digit kills, including 11 at Arizona and 10 against Portland ... two block solos in the four-game win over the Pilots ... had two kills and a dig, before breaking her left hand against Stanford.
At Vacaville High School:
Played first two years at Justin-Siena High School in Napa, Calif., before competing for Vacaville High School as a senior ... had to sit out junior season after transferring ... all-league and MVP at Justin-Siena ... team won league title in each of her three seasons ... shared league MVP honors as a senior with teammate Amanda Wulfe ... helped Vacaville to runner-up finish at the sectionals and semifinal appearance in the NorCal Division II championships ... most outstanding player at the Optimist Club All-Star game ... member of the 1998 USA Volleyball Youth National Team, which won a gold medal at the 1998 NORCECA Youth Tournament in Puerto Rico ... played club volleyball most recently for Forefront under coach Lee Maes.
Personal:
Born December 31, 1982, in Fairfield, Calif. ... daughter of Deborah and David Gilliam ... has one sister Natalie ... a zoology major, with plans to attend veterinarian school.Vanessa Gilliam will once again challenge for a starting spot at outside hitter ... a hard hitter, who can put the ball away ... also can play defense and possesses a tough jump serve ... working on more consistency in her hitting.
VANESSA GILLIAM'S CAREER UW STATISTICS
YEAR MP/GP K Avg. E TA PCT. A AVG. BHE SA AVG. SE DIG AVG. RE BS BA AVG. BE PTS 2001 18/61 147 2.41 95 444 .117 7 0.11 0 10 0.16 39 82 1.34 10 5 33 0.62 2 178.5 Totals 18/61 147 2.41 95 444 .117 7 0.11 0 10 0.16 39 82 1.34 10 5 33 0.62 2 178.5
Q & A
If I could play another sport at the UW, it would be: I'd be on the equestrian team, if we had one.
My best memory of last volleyball season: Traveling to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the first tournament.
What I want people to remember me most for after I leave the UW: That I was a friend whenever someone needed one.
What I want to accomplish this volleyball season: Place in the top four of the Pac-10.
The most stimulating class I ever took at Washington: Math 111 with (professor Patrick) Averbeck. He's really enthusiastic about teaching.