Volleyball Announces 2007 Team Awards
3/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
March 19, 2008
HOUSTON - Head coach Genny Volpe announced the player awards for the 2007 volleyball season at the annual volleyball banquet last week in the R Room at Rice Stadium.
Volpe presented awards for Most Valuable Player, Most Improved Player, Newcomer of the Year, the Commitment Award and the Scholar Athlete Award.
Sophomore Natalie Bogan and junior Jessica Holderness both received the Hally Beth Poindexter Award as the team's most valuable players. Bogan, an AVCA All-Midwest Region pick, led Rice with a grand total of 432 points during the 2007 season. She slapped 3.23 kills per game on a .320 hitting percentage to go along with 1.08 blocks per game becoming only the second sophomore in program history to notch AVCA All-America Honorable Mention status.
Holderness earned her place alongside Bogan for outstanding play as an outside hitter. Not only did this All-Conference USA Second Team member average 3.45 kills per game for the Owls, she racked up Rice's second highest dig total at a 3.59 per game rate.
The Newcomer of the Year award went to C-USA All-Freshman performer Tracey Lam. Lam led the team defensively with 499 digs, the second highest total for any Rice Owl during a single season. As a walk-on, Lam worked hard to prove herself throughout the season eventually earning the starting libero position. For these efforts, she also won the team's Most Improved Player honor.
Along with a MVP selection Holderness teamed with Caroline Gill, Rice's second C-USA All-Freshman pick, for the commitment award. Gill, the only Owl to play in all 115 of Rice's games, led the team in blocks with 1.24 blocks per game, the second highest individual average in C-USA.
Senior Rachel Lopez earned the scholar-athlete award for the third consecutive year for having the team's highest GPA. Throughout the season, Lopez, the Owls' reserve setter, was ready to come off the bench.
The Owls embark on the spring season Thursday playing host to a tournament at Fox Gym. Rice faces off with Houston Baptist at 4:30pm followed by a 5:30pm tilt with Sam Houston State and a 6:30pm match-up with Texas A&M.
