Four Cards Receive Conference USA Volleyball Honors
July 25, 2000 | Women's Volleyball
November 17, 1999
TAMPA, Fla. - Conference USA announced its 1999 volleyball awards winners at the championship banquet Wednesday evening at the Holiday Inn Busch Gardens. The C-USA Championship will be contested Thursday-Sunday at the University of South Florida's Sun Dome.
After posting impressive road wins at UNC Charlotte and Saint Louis during the final weekend of the regular season, which enabled her DePaul Blue Demons to secure a first-round bye and the fourth seed at the championship, Dawn Dockstader was selected Coach of the Year. Now in her third season at DePaul, Dockstader directed the Blue Demons to a 19-12 overall record and an 11-5 league mark, an improvement of six matches from last year.
Houston's Michelle Frazier and Laura Risley of Saint Louis were named Co-Players of the Year. Frazier, who helped the Cougars to their first C-USA National Division title, finished second in the league in hitting percentage (.309) and blocks per game (1.38). A preseason all-conference selection, Frazier also posted two triple-doubles this season.
Risley helped the Billikens to their best start in school history (10-0) and an eventual 22-8 overall mark (9-7 in league play). The Marissa, Ill., native led the league in hitting percentage (.318) and blocks per game (1.49). She also turned in two triple-doubles.
Frazier and Risley were joined on the first-team by DePaul's Stephanie Bishop, Louisville's Kelly McClain, Cincinnati's Stephanie Meinig and Marquette's Chris Curtin.
Louisville's Sonja Percan and Cincinnati's Bonita Wise are the Co-Freshman of the Year honorees. Percan finished sixth in the league in kills per game. She was named the Nov. 15 C-USA Player of the Week for her performance in the Cardinals' victories over South Florida and Houston, which helped Louisville to a share of the American Division title. Wise is ninth in the league in kills per game (3.70) and became the sixth player in school history to record 30 kills in a match when she did so at Marquette on Nov. 5.
Cincinnati's Annie Gant and Katie Graham were named Conference USA Setter and Defensive Specialist of the Year, respectively. Gant led the league in assists per game (13.54), and she is just 61 assists away from 5,000 for her career. Graham is ninth in the league in service aces per game (0.31). This is the second time in three years that she has received this honor, and she ranks among the top five in school history in digs and matches and games played.
1999 CONFERENCE USA VOLLEYBALL AWARDS
First Team All-C-USA
- MICHELLE FRAZIER, Jr., Houston
- LAURA RISLEY, Sr., Saint Louis
- STEPHANIE BISHOP, So., DePaul
- KELLY McCLAIN, Jr., Louisville
- STEPHANIE MEINIG, Jr., Cincinnati
- CHRIS CURTIN, Sr., Marquette
Second Team All-C-USA
- SONJA PERCAN, Fr., Louisville
- VESNA GRBAVAC, So., Marquette
- ANNIE GANT, Sr., Cincinnati
- BONITA WISE, Fr., Cincinnati
- KIM SENTMORE, Jr., Tulane
- OZLEM AYTURE, Jr., UNC Charlotte
Third Team All-C-USA
- BOBBI STEWART, Jr., Houston
- KRISTIN GUIDISH, Sr., Houston
- COLLEEN HUNTER, Fr., Saint Louis
- EMILY BOWERS, Sr., UNC Charlotte
- LORI GRIBBEN, Sr., South Florida
- JING DING, So., Louisville
All-Freshman Team
- SONJA PERCAN, Louisville
- BONITA WISE, Cincinnati
- COLLEEN HUNTER, Saint Louis
- DENISE FEER, UAB
- LARA CLARKSON, DePaul
- STACEY MERCER, Louisville
Co-Players of the Year:
- LAURA RISLEY, Saint Louis, MICHELLE FRAZIER, Houston
- DAWN DOCKSTADER, DePaul
- ANNIE GANT, Cincinnati
- KATIE GRAHAM, Cincinnati
- BONITA WISE, Cincinnati, SONJA PERCAN, Louisville
