Five Owls Named All-Conference USA
11/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 19, 2009
HOUSTON -- The Rice Owls volleyball team had five players earning Conference USA accolades as announced by the league office. Rice's Natalie Bogan, Tracey Lam, Ashleigh McCord, and Meredith were selected to the All-Conference USA First Team, while freshman Nancy Cole was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team. It is Bogan and Schamun's second straight first team appearance, while Lam and McCord are making their first-ever appearance on the first team. Lam had previously earned All-C-USA Second Team in 2008.
For the second consecutive year, Tracey Lam (San Francisco) of Rice has been voted the Libero of the Year, marking just the third time in league history an individual has repeated this honor. The junior tops the dig charts in overall (5.45) and league (5.57) matches as well as ranking 10th in the nation in digs per set. The 2009 All-C-USA first teamer was named Libero of the Week three times and concluded the regular season with double-digit digs in 26-of-27 matches. Lam sports a school-record 1,602 career digs, a figure that ranks eighth-best in the C-USA annals.
Meredith Schamun (Murrieta, Calif.) was selected as co-Setter of the Year, an award she is sharing with Southern Miss' Kelsea Seymour. Schamun, who ranks ninth in the NCAA, led the league for most assists per set in overall (11.89) and conference (12.41) only matches. She tied Natalie Bogan for most team double-doubles with 11 that included a match-high 61 assists and 22 dig performance at SMU on Oct. 23. The junior has distributed 3,779 career assists to rank fourth at Rice and 16th in C-USA. Both were named C-USA Setter of the Week four times this season.
Bogan, a senior middle blocker from Oakland, Calif., led Rice with 372.5 points and in hitting percentage at .341. She was second on the team with 312 kills.
Sophomore outside hitter Ashleigh McCord (Wylie, Texas) led the Owls with 335 kills and with 3.85 kills per set. McCord was second on the squad with 354.4 points.
Freshman middle blocker Nancy Cole (Pasadena, Texas) moved into the starting MB position late in the season and was able to rack up 106 kills. Cole is second on the team with a 0.84 blocks per set average and is also second on the squad with a .301 hitting percentage. Starting Nov. 20, Rice will serve as host to the 2009 Conference USA Volleyball Championship. The three-day event will be hosted inside Tudor Fieldhouse and will feature the league's top eight teams. An All-Session pass, which includes seven matches, is $15 for adults and $10 for youth.
Single session ticket prices are $8 for adults and $4 for youth and groups. FREE admission to all C-USA members with a valid university ID.
2009 CONFERENCE USA VOLLEYBALL POSTSEASON AWARD WINNERS
ALL-C-USA HONOREES
First Team
Emily Sullivan, Marshall, OH
Natalie Bogan, Rice, MB
Tracey Lam, Rice, LIB
Ashleigh McCord, Rice, OH
Meredith Schamun, Rice, S
Angela Hlavaty, Southern Miss, OH
Ashley Mell, Southern Miss, OH
Kelsea Seymour, Southern Miss, S
Visnja Djurdjevic, Tulane, OH
Jennifer Eichler, Tulsa, OH
Tyler Henderson, Tulsa, OH
Second Team
Kinsey Cave, Houston, RS
Elizabeth Fleming, Marshall, S
Kendra Kahanek, SMU, MB
Dana Powell, SMU, OH
Maia Ivanova, Southern Miss, LIB
Rachel Lindelow, Tulane, S
Ksenija Vlaskovic, Tulane, OH
Jessica Adams, Tulsa, LIB
Julia Kenealy, Tulsa, MB
Hannah Stout, Tulsa, MH
Erin Campbell, UCF, OH
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Jasmine Terry, Houston, OH
Altrese Hawkins, Memphis, OH/RS
Nancy Cole, Rice, MB
Marija Milosavljevic, Tulane, MB
Jessica Adams, Tulsa, LIB
Tyler Henderson, Tulsa, OH
Sam Serley, UAB, MB
INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
Co-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Visnja Djurdjevic, Tulane, OH
Jennifer Eichler, Tulsa, OH
Co-SETTERS OF THE YEAR
Meredith Schamun, Rice, S
Kelsea Seymour, Southern Miss, S
LIBERO OF THE YEAR
Tracey Lam, Rice, LIB
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Michelle Uzoh, UAB, MB
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Tyler Henderson, Tulsa, OH
COACH OF THE YEAR
Ricci Luyties, Southern Miss
