Volleyball Places Three on BIG EAST First Team
November 20, 2008 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 20, 2008
The University of Louisville volleyball team placed three players on the All-BIG EAST first team with Jana Matiasovska, Justine Landi and Lecia Brown receiving the honors at the BIG EAST Championship Awards Banquet Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
The Cardinals play Syracuse at 3:30 Friday at Fitzgerald Fieldhouse.
St. John's and Cincinnati, the BIG EAST volleyball regular-season co-champion's, received three of the four top honors at the annual awards banquet held prior to the 2008 BIG EAST Championship on Nov. 20. Red Storm senior Wioleta Leszczynska was named the BIG EAST Player of the Year, while teammate and classmate Lena Yee was named BIG EAST Libero of the Year for an unprecedented third straight season. Cincinnati head coach Reed Sunahara was named BIG Coach of the Year after leading the Bearcats to a share of the league's regular-season title. Connecticut's Annie Luhrsen was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, becoming the first UConn player in 13 years to win the award. Ten BIG EAST volleyball teams were honored in all, with eight receiving multiple awards.
The four major awards and All-BIG EAST First and Second teams were announced at the league's annual awards banquet in Pittsburgh, Pa., which kicks off the 27th annual BIG EAST Volleyball Championship. The single-elimination tournament consists of the top eight BIG EAST teams based on their record against league opponents. The event will be hosted by the University of Pittsburgh at the Fitzgerald Field House Nov. 21-23. Games on Friday and Saturday can be found streamed on www.bigeast.tv for $9.95, while the BIG EAST Championship final will be televised on ESPNU at 3:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 23. For a complete schedule log on to Championship Central at www.bigeast.org.
Leszczynska becomes the second straight St. John's player to be named BIG EAST Player of the Year after Hui Ping Huang earned the honor last season. Leszczynska also was named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year helped lead the Red Storm to a share of the BIG EAST regular season championship with a 21-8 overall record and a 12-2 conference mark. She finished the regular season as the BIG EAST leader in assists per set (11.58) and was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection.
Yee continues to add to her legacy as one of the league's most decorated players by earning an unprecedented three consecutive Libero of the Year awards. The senior's guidance on the court helped the Red Storm complete 11 3-0 sweeps of opponents this season. Yee led St. John's and finished third in the league in digs per set (4.13). She will leave the Red Storm as the program's all-time digs leader with 2,054 heading into the championship. Yee also was named an All-BIG EAST First Team selection.
Luhrsen becomes the first Connecticut player in 13 years to earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors, after Ann Roberson won the award for the Huskies in 1995. Luhrsen ended the season second in the BIG EAST in service aces per set (0.56) and fifth in the league in assists per set (9.92). The rookie was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week six times and was a unanimous selection as BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. She also earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team.
Sunahara's Cincinnati squad was picked third in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll, but enters this year's championship as the No. 2 seed. Sunahara earns BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors after rallying his team to a 15-match winning streak heading into the championship. The Bearcats went 14-0 at home, making it the second time in school history a Cincinnati team finished undefeated at home.
Two representatives on the All-BIG EAST First Team, USF senior Marcela Gurgel and Cincinnati senior Jessie Nevitt, were unanimous selections. As of Nov. 9, Gurgel is the only player in NCAA Division I listed in the top 15 nationally in both aces per set (0.64) and kills per set (4.37). Nevitt became the second player in BIG EAST history to record 1,400 career kills and 600 career total blocks.
2008 BIG EAST Volleyball Postseason Awards
BIG EAST Player of the YearWioleta Leszczynska, St. John's, Sr., S
BIG EAST Libero of the YearLena Yee, St. John's, Sr., L
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year*Annie Luhrsen, Connecticut, Fr., S
BIG EAST Coach of the YearReed Sunahara, Cincinnati (9th season at UC)
