Volleyball candidates announced for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award
September 09, 2015
Download in PDF formatOVERLAND PARK, Kan. (September 9, 2015) – Thirty NCAA® women’s volleyball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court were selected today as candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Of the 30 candidates, 25 have grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher, including 16 who maintain above a 3.5. Six are returning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Americans, and 11 are members of teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in December.
Volleyball 2015 Candidates
| Name | Position | School |
|---|---|---|
| Avery Acker | Setter | SMU |
| Morgan Bergren | Setter | University of Kentucky |
| Deidra Bohannon | Outside Hitter | Georgia State |
| Jordan Burgess | Outside Hitter | Stanford University |
| Sydney Crimmins | Right Side | UMKC |
| Adrianna Culbert | Hitter/Setter | Colorado State University |
| Kaitlyn Hickey | Outside Hitter | IUPUI |
| Katie Hillman | Outside Hitter | University of Delaware |
| Kierra Holst | Outside Hitter | University of Oklahoma |
| Melanie Jereb | Outside Hitter | Creighton |
| Myla Marshall | Middle Hitter | Alabama State |
| Amy Matula | Setter | Lehigh |
| Molly McCage | Middle Blocker | University of Texas |
| Taryn Miller | Libero | UMKC |
| Taylor Morey | Libero | University of Wisconsin |
| Paige Neuenfeldt | Middle Blocker/Opposite Hitter | North Carolina |
| Amanda Orchard | Middle Hitter | University of Pittsburgh |
| Kendall Pierce | Defensive Specialist | Penn State |
| Taylor Pippen | Middle Hitter | Southern Illinois University |
| Emma Roberson | Right Side Hitter | University of Cincinnati |
| Ashley Rosch | Outside Hitter | Illinois State |
| Chelsee Sauni | Setter | Coppin State |
| Courtney Shaw | Outside Hitter | Marist College |
| Emily Sklar | Outside Hitter | Duke University |
| Cassie Strickland | Libero | University of Washington |
| Shelby Sullivan | Middle Blocker | Texas A&M |
| Kristen Torre | Middle Blocker | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville |
| Melanie Wade | Middle Blocker | University of Washington |
| Nicole Walch | Outside Hitter | Florida State |
| Jocelyn Youngdahl | Middle Blocker | Belmont |
