« DI Volleyball 2012

Rachael Kidder

School
UCLA
Position
Outside Hitter
Major
Political Science
K
438
Pct
.237
SA
11
BS
20
BA
50
D
153

Classroom

Kidder was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention Team following her junior season in 2011. She has earned UCLA Athletic Director’s Honor Roll accolades three times in the winter quarter of 2010 and the fall quarters of 2010 and 2011.

Character

As a freshman in 2009, Rachael was used mainly as a blocking specialist, rather than an all-around player. For the 2010 season, she was given a bigger role on the team. She felt with those enhanced duties her maturation level grew, and with those qualities in tow, she finished second on the team in kills per set, improving her kps from 0.45 to 3.47. Through hard work and by becoming a more physical player, she went on to great success in 2011 with an MVP, All-American and National Championship season.

Community

Kidder has volunteered each of the last three years with Marathon Kids, a non-profit organization that targets children most vulnerable to childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes. In 2011, she worked with UCLA’s I’m Going to College program, which is offered to Southern California school groups and couples the excitement and tradition of UCLA Athletic events with a message about the importance of higher education. In 2010 and ‘11, Kidder took part in “A Run for Hope”, a 2.7-mile run/walk which provides a unique and nurturing opportunity for children, teens and adults to honor the memory of someone close to them who has passed away. Kidder has also coached several volleyball camps at UCLA and has coached club teams the past two years.

Competition

Kidder led the Bruins in kills per set (4.70) and points per set (5.24) in her junior season of 2011, earning First Team All-America, All-Region and All-Pac-12 honors and helping UCLA to a National Championship. The Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament, Kidder had 21 kills and 12 digs in the National Semifinal against Florida State (Dec. 15) and 20 kills, eight digs and three blocks in the National Championship match versus Illinois (Dec. 17). Kidder was ninth in the nation last year in kills and points per set. Her 574 kills were the most in one season at UCLA since the rally scoring era began in 2001. She had 10 matches with at least 20 kills and 32 of her 34 contests saw her post double figures in kills. The 2011 efforts came after another successful campaign during her sophomore season, as Kidder was named to the All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention squad. She finished second on the team with 3.47 kps and 3.90 pps, and was fourth with 0.61 blocks per set. Kidder had 20 double-figure kills matches, including four contests with at least 20. Kidder has played in 98 of a possible 100 matches during her four-year career and is the 26th player in UCLA history to achieve 1,000 kills, bringing 1,004 into her senior season.