National Accolades

January 23rd, 2007

The tradition of excellence continues as players from the University of Florida have earned several more national awards over the past week.

Junior Angie McGinnis was named a first-team All-American, while junior Amber McCray was honored as a second-team selection in the February issue of Volleyball Magazine.

McGinnis was also honored as the Asics/Volleyball Magazine Most Improved Player of the Year for the 2006 season.

Not to be outdown, libero Elyse Cusack claimed another honor after a stellar freshman campaign as she was named one of college volleyball's Rising Stars by Collegiate Volleyball Update.

Cusack shattered the Southeastern Conference and Florida record for digs per game in 2006 en route to being named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Her average of 5.52 digs per game easily broke former Gator Rachel Engel's conference best of 5.12 set in 2005. Cusack was only the fourth freshman in school history to earn AVCA All-Region honors and the first since Aury Cruz and Benavia Jenkins in 2000. During the season, Cusack 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. Cusack ended the year with 535 digs - the second-highest single season total in school history. She notched nine 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 during 2006, Cusack amassed double figures in digs in 24 consecutive matches - a school record for a libero.

Cusack was one of 15 freshmen across the nation recognized by Collegiate Volleyball Update and one of two players from the SEC, which tied the Big Ten for the most players honored from any conference.

The awards boost the total number of All-America honors to 41 in Florida history from 18 different players. Florida was on of only seven schools to have at least two players on either the first or the second team. McGinnis and McCray combined to win four All-America honors in 2006 - the fifth consecutive season the Gators have claimed at least four honors.

McGinnis, an honorable mention Volleyball Magazine All-American in 2005 and a first-team American Volleyball Coaches Association selection in 2006, joined former teammate Jane Collymore (2003) as the only players to win the Most Improved Player Award in school history. In 2006, McGinnis became the first setter in Gator history to be named a first-team All-American and the first to garner multiple seasons with an All-America honor. McGinnis guided the Gators to the third-best hitting percentage in the nation in 2006 at .292, while Florida was ninth in kills per game at 16.94 - a school record. In 2006, McGinnis became the first setter to ever be named the Southeastern Conference Player of the year after recording a pair of triple-doubles and breaking 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 also set Florida single season setter records for kills (171), kills per game (1.55) and blocks per game (1.05), while tying the record for block solos (13). Her assist average of 13.23 per game ranked fourth in school history.

Despite playing with a partial tear in her left rotator cuff for most of the season, McCray became the first UF opposite hitter to earn both AVCA and Volleyball Magazine All-America honors since current assistant coach Jenny Manz did so in 1999. McCray joined Manz (1998, 1999) and Jenny Wood (1996) as the only opposite hitters in UF history to earn All-America honors. McCray, also a first-team All-SEC selection, shattered the Florida record for hitting percentage by an opposite hitter by finishing the season at .370 - 35 percentage points better the previous record. McCray's average of 3.71 kills per game led the team and was the highest average by an opposite hitter since Manz registered 3.76 per game in 1999. Also a blocking threat, McCray's average of 0.90 blocks per game was the fourth-best by an opposite hitter in school history. McCray finished in double figures in kills in 21 matches during the season and recorded four 20-plus kill matches in 2006.