Anastasia Yartseva

Class:
Sophomore
High School:
Anapa No. 1
Hometown:
Anapa, Russia

2004 -- The 2004 season revealed a rising star on the Cardinal horizon. Junior Ana Yartseva, who was ranked as high as No. 2 in the NCAA rankings for hitting percentage last year, is U of L's All-America selection. Chosen to the AVCA Third Team All-America squad, she hit a torrid .454 last season and was second in blocking with 133 total blocks. She was the leading hitter in Conference USA and she had 268 kills, 15 aces, 279 digs and 133 blocks for an average of 1.22 per match. Oddly, she was named to the C-USA Third Team. She had 13 kills against Pepperdine, UAB and Missouri. She had a season-high four aces against Morehead State. Despite her height, she is an agile, efficient passer and defensive player, with 18 digs against Missouri and 16 versus Kentucky. She was named to the AVCA All-Midwest Region team and the All-Raider Classic. She put up some gaudy numbers against some of U of L's most difficult opponents. She hit .500 versus Arizona (10-2-16), .556 versus Missouri (13-3-18) and .625 versus Cincinnati (12-2-16). She had a season-high nine blocks versus Tulane. In ten matches, she notched double-doubles in kills and digs.

2003 -- Ana Yartseva had a season-high 12 kills against Murray State and ECU. She had seven kills with no errors on 12 attacks to hit .583 against Notre Dame and was 9-2-15 for .467 vs. Illinois. She had two aces versus Alabama and nine digs against Southern Miss and hit .600 versus Western Michigan (6-0-10). She had a season- high five blocks against East Carolina.

High School --Anastasia, who goes by Ana, played club ball in Ekaterinaburg and was a member of the U-18 Junior National Team.

Personal -- Daughter of Nadeja and Valeri Yartseva. Born November 1, 1983. Major is economics.

Honors2004 AVCA All-America 3rd Team2004 AVCA All-Midwest RegionAll-C-USA 3rd TeamFavorites:Hobbies: Drawing, taking pictures of natureMovie: JuniorVolleyball player: Elena ChernookMusic: ClassicalFood: Chicken, blintzesPerson with biggest influence on athletic career: Father, who is a professional chess player and Elena ChernookHer advice to kids: Be very patient, work hard and believe in what you do.Most impressive person she's met: Maksim Galki(Russian humorist)Biggest Thrill in Sports: Playing volleyball for U of L