SEC Awards and Honors
November 28th, 2006
University of Florida junior Angie McGinnis became the first setter to be named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in league history, while freshman libero Elyse Cusack was honored as the Defensive Player of the Year as announced on Tuesday.
Florida, which won its 16th consecutive SEC title with a 19-1 league mark, had six players receive recognition from the conference. McGinnis was joined on the SEC First-Team by junior opposite hitter Amber McCray. Junior outside hitter Marcie Hampton and sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Bowers were honored as Second-Team selections with Cusack and middle blocker Kristina Johnson making the All-Freshman Team. In addition, senior Stefanie Douglas was named for the second consecutive season to the SEC Volleyball Community Service Team.
Florida placed at least two members on the first team for the 16th consecutive season, while the total of six athletes recognized matches UF teams from 2003 and 2001 for the highest number of honors in a season. The Gators also claimed the SEC Player of the Year award for the 12th consecutive year and the 14th time in the 15-year history of the award.
McGinnis had an outstanding junior campaign in which she recorded a pair of triple-doubles and broke the Florida career setting records for kills, attacks, block solos, block assists, total blocks and points. She became the fastest player in school history to reach 3,000 and later 4,000 career assists. McGinnis became the ninth different Gator to earn the league's Player of the Year award and the 17th player in UF history to be named to the SEC First-Team at least twice. She earned MVP honors at the Aquafina Invitational and earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week accolades twice (8-28, 10-23). McGinnis was second in the SEC in league matches in assists per game (13.40) and was ninth in hitting percentage (.310). Her averages in kills per game (1.55) and blocks per game (1.08) are the best by a setter in school history and she's already tied the record for block solos in a season (13) and is nearing the marks for block assists and total blocks.
Despite being bothered by a sore shoulder for much of the year, McCray put together one of the best seasons by an opposite hitter in school history and became the first Gator to be named to the All-SEC First-Team at that position since Jacque Robinson in 2001. McCray led all opposite and outside hitters in SEC matches in hitting percentage (.365) and was third among all players. She finished ninth in league matches with a team-best 3.87 kills per game. McCray is on pace to shatter the previous UF hitting percentage record for an opposite hitter (.335 by Jacque Robinson in 2002) and her kills per game average is the highest by a Gator player in that position in eight years. McCray finished in double figures in kills in 21 of the 24 matches she completely played in and tallied three 20-plus kill matches in 2006. McCray's blocking average of 0.89 per game ranks third for her position in Florida history and she hit above .300 in 20 matches during the year.
Cusack became the first Gator to earn the league's Defensive Player of the Year award in its third year of being handed out after leading all players in digs with a 5.55 per game average. Cusack is on pace to easily eclipse the SEC record for digs per game, which was set by Florida's Rachel Engel in 2005 at 5.12. Cusack was named to the Aquafina Invitational All-Tournament team and became the second libero/defensive specialist to ever be named the AVCA National Player of the Week after she broke the UF record with 46 digs at LSU - tied for the sixth most in a four-game match in NCAA history. She was named the SEC's Defensive Player of the Week three times (9-5, 10-16, 11-6) and the league's Freshman of the Week twice (10-3, 11-20). Cusack recorded seven 20-plus dig matches during the season and broke the UF rally scoring era record by collecting 13 digs in one game against LSU. At one point in the season, Cusack reached double figures in digs in 24 consecutive matches - a school record for a libero.
Hampton was named to the Second-Team for the second consecutive season after ranking second among all outside hitters and 10th overall in digs per game (3.40) during SEC play. Hampton was named the Conference Challenge MVP and claimed SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 27 after ranking second in kills per game, fourth in digs per game and tied for fifth in blocks per game among all players during the Conference Challenge. Earlier in 2006, Hampton became the fastest player in school history to reach 1,000 career digs and the only player in UF history to record 300 digs in their first three seasons. Hampton recently became the seventh Gator to ever reach the 1,000 kill, 1,000 dig club and is one of only three players to amass at least 300 kills in their first three seasons. Hampton recorded nine double-doubles in 2006 and her digs per game averaged of 3.42 ranks as the sixth best by an outside hitter in UF history and the eighth-best overall.
After playing sparingly as a freshman, Bowers burst onto the scene as a sophomore and put together one of the top campaigns by a middle blocker in UF history. She was named the SEC's Defensive Player of the Week three times (9-25, 10-30, 11-13) and ranked second in league matches in hitting percentage .388 and second in blocks per game (1.64). Bowers was named to the Campus USA Credit Union Classic All-Tournament team and broke the Gator record for most block assists in a match with 13 against Alabama on Oct. 29. Bowers finished in double figures in blocks three times in 2006 and became the first UF player to record five aces in a match since Jane Collymore did so in the opening stages of the 2005 season. Bowers is on the verge of setting the Florida records by a sophomore for hitting percentage, block assists and total blocks.
After a redshirt season in 2006, Johnson turned into one of the top offensive threats among middle blockers in the SEC. She ended the league season fourth in hitting percentage at .359 and is poised to break the Florida record for hitting percentage by a freshman as she sits at .381. The old mark was set by Benavia Jenkins in 2000 at .333. Johnson is on the verge of cracking the all-time top five for freshman block assists and total blocks and her average of 1.14 blocks per game ranks fourth in UF history. Johnson led the team in blocks seven times during the season and paced the Gators in kills with 12 in her career debut against South Florida.
Douglas has donated more than 30 hours of her time Toward community service projects since her arrival in Gainesville, including nearly 10 hours during the 2006 fall semester. On four different occasions during the fall, Douglas donated her time to the Shands Medical Plaza. Her activities at Shands included interacting with children living with cancer and various other illnesses. Douglas would play with the children through coloring, doing arts and crafts and playing sports and games. She also participated in the Climb for Cancer Sports Camp in which athletes helped children learn how to play various sports. Douglas also participated in the in a panel designed to help incoming freshmen at the University of Florida called the First Year Florida Class. The panel involves students discussing academics, time management, pressures, stereotypes and stress management.
Player of the Year: Angie McGinnis, Florida
Defensive Player of the Year: Elyse Cusack, Florida
Freshman of the Year: Sarah Rumely, Kentucky
Scholar Athlete of the Year: Rachel Shanks, Auburn
Coach of the Year: Joe Getzin, Mississippi
First Team All-SEC
Crystal Hudson, Alabama
Amber McCray, Florida
Angie McGinnis, Florida
Daniela Romero, LSU
Marina Skender, LSU
Shonda Cole, South Carolina
Sarah Blum, Tennessee
Second Team All-SEC
Bridget Fuentez, Alabama
Denitza Koleva, Arkansas
Kelsey Bowers, Florida
Marcie Hampton, Florida
Queen Nzenwa, Kentucky
Nicole Britenriker, Kentucky
Jaclyn Toohey, Ole Miss
Yuliya Stoyanova, Tennessee
All-Freshman Team
Destiny Clark, Arkansas
Elyse Cusack, Florida
Kristina Johnson, Florida
Sarah Rumely, Kentucky
Lauren DeGirolamo, LSU
Martina Gregusova, Miss. State
Leah Hinkey, Tennessee
