Mercer Named To All-Region
December 08, 2000 | Women's Volleyball
Dec. 8, 2000
CHICAGO, Ill. - Six Conference USA volleyball players have been named to the 2000 American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I All-Midwest Region team, the AVCA announced Thursday. The Midwest Region includes Conference USA, the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, the Ohio Valley Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference. This marks the fifth-straight year that C-USA has had at least six players on its all-region team.
After a torn ACL, MCL and lateral meniscus sidelined her for most of the 1999 season, South Florida's Michelle Collier has rebounded to earn C-USA Player of the Year honors. A two-time league Player of the Week honoree, she set a school and Conference USA record 41 kills against Louisville. Her 106 attempts against the Cardinals are not only a school and league mark but an NCAA, four-game record as well. South Florida, winners of 21 of its last 23 matches, made its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last six years and for the fourth time in the last six years, finished the regular season with just one league loss.
Colleen Hunter of Saint Louis broke the school's single-season kills record with 654. The First-Team All-Conference USA selection became the first SLU sophomore to surpass the 1,000-career kill plateau and became the second player in school history to earn AVCA National Player of the Week honors. She finished the regular season ranked third in Conference USA kills and hitting percentage, fourth in blocks and 10th in service aces.
DePaul's Kara Jakusz was the Conference USA Setter of the Year. Jakusz owns a career assist average of 13.10 per game, which is sixth in NCAA history. She has dished out at least 50 assists in 15 different matches for the Blue Demons this season. Jakusz broke the single-season league match assist record with 870.
First-Team All-Conference USA selection Stacey Mercer of Louisville was second in the league in hitting percentage (.374) and fifth in blocks per game (1.14). As a team, the Cardinals ranked among the Top 12 blocking teams nationally. Mercer helped Louisville to its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh in the last eight years.
South Florida's Rachelle Paul sparked the Bulls to the Conference USA National Division title and NCAA Tournament appearance. The senior was named to the all-tournament team at the Conference USA Tournament and ranked among the league's top 10 in hitting percentage and digs.
Houston's Jennifer Wittenberg has been among the top five in the nation in kills this season. Despite sitting out three weeks of the season with an injured foot, she still earned first team all-league honors for leading Houston to its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 11th overall. The Cougars are one of only 12 schools in the country that has been to 10 straight NCAA Tournaments.
2000 AVCA All-Midwest Region Team: Lea Beckemeyer (SE Missouri), MICHELLE COLLIER (SOUTH FLORIDA), Laura Dallenbach (UW-Milwaukee), Krista Haukap (SE Missouri), COLLEEN HUNTER (SAINT LOUIS), KARA JAKUSZ (DE PAUL), STACEY MERCER (LOUISVILLE), Renee Nash (Loyola-Chicago), RACHELLE PAUL (SOUTH FLORIDA), Kelly Price (Loyola-Chicago), Chrissy Schurla (UW-Milwaukee), JENNIFER WITTENBURG (HOUSTON).
