Volleyball Candidates Announced for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award
October 01, 2018
Download in PDF formatOVERLAND PARK, Kan. (October 1, 2018) – Thirty NCAA® women’s volleyball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court were selected today as candidates for the 2018 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, 18 have grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher and 27 have received academic all-conference honors. Fifteen are returning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Americans, and 10 are members of teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. Outside of academics and athletics, all candidates have been consistently involved in community service on their campus or in their communities.
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 2018 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in December.
For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
Volleyball 2018 Candidates
| Name | Position | School |
|---|---|---|
| Kamalani Akeo | Setter | University of Pittsburgh |
| Tami Alade | Middle Blocker | Stanford University |
| Rachel Anderson | Middle Hitter | Western Kentucky University |
| Ali Bastianelli | Middle Blocker | University of Illinois |
| Lauren Bruns | Outside Hitter | University of Dayton |
| Santita Ebangwese | Middle Blocker | Syracuse University |
| Gabrielle Eyl | Libero | Northeastern University |
| Mikaela Foecke | Outside Hitter | University of Nebraska |
| Cara Guthrie | Outside Hitter | UNC Asheville |
| Erica Haslag | Outside Hitter | Bradley University |
| Taryn Kloth | Outside Hitter | Creighton University |
| Haley Libs | Outside Hitter | Northern Kentucky University |
| AJ Lux | Outside Hitter | East Tennessee State University |
| Patricia Mattingly | Setter | U.S. Naval Academy |
| Alyssa Munlyn | Middle Blocker | University of Missouri |
| Courtney Pence | Libero | Illinois State University |
| Jordyn Poulter | Setter | University of Illinois |
| Colleen Reilly | Middle blocker | Wofford College |
| Michela Rucli | Middle Blocker | Hofstra University |
| Jess Schaben | Outside Hitter | Iowa State University |
| Samantha Seliger-Swenson | Setter | University of Minnesota |
| Carly Skjodt | Outside Hitter | University of Michigan |
| Alexa Smith | Outside Hitter | University of Colorado |
| Kirstyn Sperry | Setter/Opposite | Bryant University |
| Haley Templeton | Setter | University of Miami |
| Abby Thelen | Outside Hitter | Setan Hall University |
| Jaila Tolbert | Right-side hitter | Virginia Tech |
| Erica Treiber | Middle Hitter | University of Tennessee |
| Jaali Winters | Outside Hitter | Creighton University |
| Karley York | Setter | University of North Texas |
