Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Volleyball Takes Top Honors in C-USA Awards
11/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Senior Nickie Sanlin and sophomore Stephanie Cahill were also recognized by the league by being named to the C-USA All Second and Third Teams respectively to round out the accolades for the Herd.
"It's great that our players got the caliber of recognition that they did," Jacobs said. "For Kelly to be the only sophomore on the First Team and to be named Player of the Year is quite an honor for her. For Katie, after three years of running the program remarkably with no recognition to get this award in her fourth year is very well-deseerved. Katie is one of the best players that I've gotten to coach and we've worked so hard together to get the program to where it is today."
Following honors such as C-USA Preseason Player of the Year and Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week, it is no surprise that the sophomore Billingy was also named the 2005 Conference USA Player of the Year for women's volleyball, as selected by the league coaches.
Billingy is also the only non-senior on the C-USA All Conference First Team.
Billingy is a three-time C-USA Player of the Week and was awarded the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week award on Oct. 31. Billingy's .364 hitting percentage leads the league, as do her 5.68 kills per game. Billingy is third in the nation in kills per game. She recorded double-digits kills in every match except at No. 2 Penn State. She hit over .500 in six matches and was held under .300 in just two C-USA matches. The Trinidad native set the Marshall single-match kills record with 38 at Memphis, which is also the highest total in a C-USA match this season. As only a sophomore, Billingy eclipsed the 1,000 career-kill plateau and is currently in fourth place in Marshall history with her 1,154.
"It's great to be on the first team with Katie Stein and an honor to be Player of the Year," Billingy said. "But it wouldn't be possible without all the hard work my team has put in this year. I want to congratulate Katie, Nickie and Steph for their awards. They're all very deserving and I want to congratulate coach because he's done a great job this season."
Head coach Mitch Jacobs, who currently leads Marshall in its longest winning streak since 1977 with nine consecutive victories, was named the 2005 C-USA Coach of the Year. Marshall recorded not only the Conference USA regular season title in its inaugural year in C-USA, but earned the No. 1 seed in the 2005 C-USA Volleyball Championship, which will be played Nov. 17-20 at Rice's Autry Court in Houston. The Herd holds an overall record of 23-5 and are 15-1 in league action. The 23 victories are the second most in school history since 1995 when the Herd won 25.
"Coach of the Year is an equation of what the players do everyday and the work that they put in during the season and in the offseason," Jacobs said. "It's also about the cohesion of this team and the staff and the trust within our staff to work hard. We wouldn't be where we are without everyone working together toward the same goals."
Joining Billingy on the C-USA All-Conference first team for the Herd is two-time C-USA Setter of the Week Katie Stein. The senior guided the Herd to a .281 team hitting percentage this season. Stein is averaging 14.02 assists per game and has tallied 58 service aces this season. Stein is sixth in the nation in assists per game and 13th in service aces. Stein was named 2005 Setter of the Year, after breaking the Marshall records for all-time assists and aces this season. She has totaled 5,662 assists, 1,143 digs and 196 service aces this season, and recorded the first triple-double in Herd history at Memphis on Oct. 16.<>
"It's an honor to be Setter of the Year, but it's really the hard work our team has put in all year, " Stein said. "My teammates are all deserving of the awards they received. My recognition comes from being a part of a great team that's successful and playing with girls that get the job done."
Sanlin is second on the Herd in hitting percentage, just two points behind Billingy at .362 on the season. She gets the second-team nod after being first or second all season long in hitting percentage in the league. Sanlin recorded the Herd's highest single match hitting percentage of all-time versus Seton Hall this year with a mark of .857. Sanlin is also second on the Herd in blocking with 75 total on the season.
Cahill made the third team after being eighth in C-USA with 13 double-doubles on the season. The sophomore averages more than three kills and three digs a game for the Herd. Cahill started every match for the Herd and was in double-digits in kills in 21 of Marshall's 28 matches.
"Entering the year as under a .200 career hitter, for Nickie to put up numbers like she has helped us get to where we are and the recognition is very well deserved," Jacobs said. "It's also great the coaches in this league recognized the overall talents of Steph Cahill and what she does for us. I really don't think we'd be where we are without all the things everyone on this team does. Amber Sims, Maggie Arias, Uche Ndubisi, everybody plays such an important role for us. I'm just so proud of the hard work this team puts in everyday and I'm lucky to be able to coach them."
The 2005 C-USA Volleyball Championship begins this Thursday, November 17 at Rice's Autry Court in Houston, Texas. For complete coverage of the tournament, including a bracket and match times, go to the official conference website at www.ConferenceUSA.com.
2005 ALL-CONFERENCE USA AWARDS
All-Conference First Team Kelly-Anne Billingy, Sophomore, Outside Hitter, Marshall Pam Ferris, Senior, Outside Hitter, East Carolina Jaci Gonzalez, Senior, Libero, Houston Olaya Pazo, Senior, Reserve Setter/Outside Hitter, Rice Kariny Ritter, Senior, Outside Hitter, Houston Kari Stacy, Senior, Outside Hitter, UTEP Katie Stein, Senior, Setter, Marshall
All-Conference Second Team Natalie Peters, Freshman, Middle Blocker, SMU Sara Radosevic, Freshman, Outside Hitter, Tulane Nickie Sanlin, Senior, Middle Blocker, Marshall Becca Sartori, Junior, Middle Blocker, Houston Julia Silva, Sophomore, Setter, Tulsa Kassiana Urnau, Sophomore, Outside Hitter, Tulsa Evyn Wills, Senior, Libero, Tulsa
All-Conference Third Team Ivana Bozic, Freshman, Outside Hitter, UAB Stephanie Cahill, Sophomore, Outside Hitter, Marshall Kelly Dickson, Senior, Libero, Tulane Heidi Krug, Junior, Setter, East Carolina Tessa Kuykendall, Junior, Middle Blocker, Rice Brooke Peugh, Freshman, Middle Blocker, UTEP Erica Wilson, Senior, Outside Hitter, East Carolina
All-Freshman Team Ivana Bozic, Outside Hitter, UAB Justine Farmer, Outside Hitter, Houston Natalie Peters, Middle Blocker, SMU Brooke Peugh, Middle Blocker, UTEP Sara Radosevic, Outside Hitter, Tulane Luna Rebrovic, Setter, Tulane
Player of the Year Kelly-Anne Billingy, Sophomore, Outside Hitter, Marshall
Coach of the Year Mitch Jacobs, Marshall
Defensive Player of the Year Jaci Gonzalez, Senior, Libero, Houston
Setter of the Year Katie Stein, Senior, Setter, Marshall
Freshman of the Year Sara Radosevic, Outside Hitter, Tulane
