Dec. 13, 2006

OMAHA, Neb.--The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced their 2006 All-American teams Wednesday afternoon in conjunction with the NCAA Volleyball Championship semifinal to begin tomorrow. Senior Jessica Vander Kooi, named last week as a first-team member of the AVCA Central Region, garnered honorable mention honors for the second-consecutive year.

 

Vander Kooi finished the 2006 Big 12 season in the top 10 of three scoring categories including kills per game (7th, 4.05), service aces per game (7th, 0.33), and points per game (5th, 4.88). In addition, Vander Kooi was named Big 12 Player of the Week twice in September and earned AVCA National Player of the Week honors on September 22. Vander Kooi also was one of very few voted as a CoSIDA Academic All-American. In addition, Vander Kooi landed on the Academic All-Big 12 list for the third-consecutive year.

 

Vander Kooi ended her career at Mizzou in the top three all-time of six statistical categories including kills, points, digs, and blocks. Vander Kooi scored a team-high 18 kills, adding 14 digs and five blocks in the near upset of No. 2 Stanford in the NCAA Tournament's second round on Sunday.

 

The NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship semifinal and final rounds will be held in a front of a sell-out 16,000-person-plus crowd in Omaha's Qwest Center beginning Thursday. Nebraska, Stanford, UCLA, and Washington are the four teams that advanced out of their respective regions and will be part of an atmosphere that has been unmatched in the collegiate sport of volleyball. Coverage on ESPN2 begins tomorrow at 6:00 p.m., central.

 

The selections are made by the AVCA Division I All-America Committee: chair -Pi'i Aiu, Colorado; Laura Farina, Auburn, Rich Feller, California; Barry Goldberg, American; Nancy Mueller, Illinois-Chicago; Jolene Nagel, Duke; Mark Rosen, Michigan; and Pat Stangle, Wyoming. The AVCA Awards Chair is New Hampshire Head Coach Jill Hirschinger.

 

2006 AVCA DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA FIRST-TEAM^SM

Player	Institution	Pos.	Yr.	Ht.	Hometown
Foluke Akinradewo #	Stanford University	MB	So.	6-3	Plantation, Florida
Cynthia Barboza	Stanford University	OH	So.	6-0	Long Beach, California
Nicole Fawcett #	Penn State University	OH	So.	6-4	Zanesfield, Ohio
Megan Hodge	Penn State University	OH	Fr.	6-3	Durham, North Carolina
Kanoe Kamana'o ^ @ %	University of Hawai'i	S	Sr.	5-8	Honolulu, Hawai'i
Jordan Larson	University of Nebraska	OH	So.	6-2	Hooper, Nebraska
Angie McGinnis @	University of Florida	S	Jr.	5-11	Fraser, Michigan
Nana Meriwether @	UCLA	MB	Sr.	6-1	Potomac, Maryland
Christal Morrison $ @	University of Washington	OH	Jr.	6-1	Puyallup, Washington
Sarah Pavan * ^	University of Nebraska	RS/Opp	Jr.	6-5	Kitchener, Ontario
Nellie Spicer	UCLA	S	So.	5-10	Barrington, Illinois
Courtney Thompson * ^	University of Washington	S	Sr.	5-8	Kent, Washington

2006 AVCA DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA SECOND- TEAM^SM

Player	Institution	Pos.	Yr.	Ht.	Hometown
Alesha Deesing	University of Washington	MB	Jr.	6-2	Salem, Oregon
Ashley Engle	The University of Texas	RS/Opp	Fr.	6-3	Yorba Linda, California
Christa Harmotto	Penn State University	MB	So.	6-2	Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Asia Kaczor	Univ. of Southern California	RS/Opp	Jr.	6-4	Wroclaw, Poland
Bryn Kehoe @	Stanford University	S	Jr.	5-11	North Bend, Ohio
Marisa Main # $	The Ohio State University	S	Sr.	5-9	Louisville, Kentucky
Amber McCray	University of Florida	RS/Opp	Jr.	6-0	Longview, Texas
Meredith Nelson	University of Minnesota	MB	Sr.	6-3	St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin
Angie Pressey	University of California	OH	Jr.	5-8	Heathrow, Florida
Airial Salvo	University of Utah	OH	So.	6-0	Farmington, Utah
Jackie Simpson	University of Wisconsin	S	Jr.	6-0	Downers Grove, Illinois
Tracy Stalls	University of Nebraska	MB	Jr.	6-3	Denver, Colorado

2006 AVCA DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA THIRD- TEAM^SM

Player	Institution	Pos.	Yr.	Ht.	Hometown
Kristen Carlson	University of San Diego	OH	Sr.	6-2	Purcellville, Virginia
Katie Carter	UCLA	OH	Sr.	6-3	Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Rachel Holloway	University of Nebraska	S	Fr.	5-10	Franklin Tennessee
Jamie Houston	University of Hawai'i	OH	So.	6-1	Huntsville, Alabama
Danielle Meyer	The Ohio State University	MB	Jr.	6-1	Cincinnati, Ohio
Michelle Moriarty	The University of Texas	S	Jr.	5-10	Houston, Texas
Ashley Nu'u	University of Colorado	S	Sr.	5-10	Aurora, Colorado
Kristin Richards *	Stanford University	OH	Sr.	6-0	Orem, Utah
Eliane Santos	University of Oklahoma	MB	Sr.	6-2	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Debora Seilhamer	Univ. of Southern California	DS/Lib	Sr.	5-5	Ponce, Puerto Rico
Jessica Swarbrick	University of Washington	MB	So.	6-1	El Dorado, California
Whitney Webb	University of Utah	RS/Opp	Jr.	6-1	Gilbert, Arizona

 

* indicates 2005 AVCA First Team All-America selection

^ indicates 2004 AVCA First Team All-America selection

# indicates 2005 AVCA Second Team All-America selection

$ indicates 2004 AVCA Second Team All-America selection

@ indicates 2005 AVCA Third Team All-America selection

 % indicates 2003 AVCA Third Team All-America selection

2006 AVCA Division I Freshman of the Year^SM: Megan Hodge, Penn State, Outside Hitter

2006 AVCA Division I Player of the Year^SM: Announced at AVCA All-America/Players of the Year Banquet^SM on Dec. 15, 2006

AVCA All-America Honorable Mention^SM
Jeannette Abbott (Clemson, OH, So.)

Ashley Adams (Middle Tennessee, OH, So.)

Allison Anderson (Boston College, DS/Lib, Sr.)

Diana Andreyko (Pittsburgh, OH, Jr.)

Megan Argabright (Western Kentucky, MB, So.)

Faye Barhorst (Dayton, MB, Sr.)

Kelly-Anne Billingy (Marshall, OH, Jr.)

Elizabeth Bishop (Cornell, OH, Sr.)

Sarah Blum (Tennessee, MB, Sr.)

Erin Boeve (Iowa State, MB, Jr.)

Ivana Bozic (UAB, OH, So.)

Abbey Breit (Jacksonville State, OH, Jr.)

Katie Bruzdzinski (Michigan, OH, Jr.)

Shelby Burton (Memphis, MB, Jr.)

Anna Cmaylo (Santa Clara, MB, Jr.)

Shonda Cole (South Carolina, OH, Sr.)

Laura Cote (Memphis, S/H, So.)

Alexis Crimes (Long Beach State, MB, Jr.)

Elizabeth Curley (Hofstra, MB, Sr.)

Carrie DeMange (Duke, MB, Jr.)

Brittney Dolgner (Wisconsin, OH, Fr.)

Katie Esbrook (Virginia Tech, MB, Sr.)

Leanne Felsing (UW-Milwaukee, S/H, Jr.)

Stephanie Figgers (Stephen F. Austin, DS/Lib, Sr.)

Chelsea Goodman (BYU, OH, Jr.)

Ali Hausfeld (Duke, S, Jr.)

Cheryl Hegemann (UW-Milwaukee, MB, Sr.)

Danielle Hepburn (Clemson, MB, So.)

Destinee Hooker (Texas, OH, Fr.)

Hui Ping Huang (St. John's, OH, So.)

Crystal Hudson (Alabama, MB, Jr.)

Tealle Hunkus (Duke, OH, Sr.)

Emily Kirkwood (Virginia, S, Sr.)

Tatyana Kolesnikova (Louisville, OH, So.)

Denitza Koleva (Arkansas, OH, Sr.)

Viola Leszczynska (St. John's, S/H, Jr.)

Stephanie Lynch (Purdue, MB, So.)

Sarah Mason (Hawai'i, OH, Sr.)
Kate McCullagh (Northern Illinois, MB, Sr.)

Tatyana Menshikova (                Saint Louis, OH, Sr.)

Jamie Mueller (Marquette, OH, Sr.)

Jessie Nevitt (Cincinnati, MB, So.)

Colleen Nilson (Belmont, S, Jr.)

Heather Norris (Murray State, DS/Lib, So.)

Katherine Oakes (Virginia, MB, Jr.)

Kim Oguh (New Mexico State, MB, Jr.)

Malama Peniata (Minnesota, DS/Lib, Sr.)

Sara Radosevic (Tulane, OH, So.)

Daniela Romero (LSU, S, Sr.)

Yarimar Rosa (Florida International, OH, Fr.)

Juliana Sanders (Hawai'i, MB, Jr.)

Joanna Schmitt (Oklahoma, OH, Sr.)

Julia Silva (Tulsa, S, Jr.)

Amber Simpson (New Mexico State, MB, So.)

Ambria Springer (Illinois-Chicago, MB, Sr.)
Ulrike Stegemann (Georgia Tech, RS/Opp, Jr.)

Yuliya Stoyanova (Tennessee, OH, Jr.)

Rubena Sukaj (American, OH, So.)

Makini Thompson (Florida State, OH, Jr.)

Kimberley Todd (Marquette, OH, Jr.)

Emillie Toone (Utah, MB, Jr.)

Jessica Vander Kooi (Missouri, OH, Sr.)

Olivia Waldowski (UC Santa Barbara, MB, Sr.)

Emily Withers (Jacksonville State, S, Sr.)

Ana Yartseva-Stewart (Louisville, MB, Sr.)