Nov. 27, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University women's volleyball team landed five players on the All-West Coast Conference teams Wednesday morning, two of which were on the first team while the other three garnered honorable mention honors.
Juniors Becky Potter and Kelli Sousa earned first team honors, while junior Becky Biniek, senior Chrissy Hirsch and freshman Alyssa Lantz earned honorable mention nods after leading the Broncos to a 24-6 overall regular-season record and a second place finish in the WCC with their 12-2 mark. Their regular season and conference records are the second-best in program history, both only trailing the marks set during the 2000 season when the team went 26-4 overall and 13-1 in league play.
Potter earns her second consecutive first team nod after leading the league in kills per game and points per game, while also ranking in the top-five in hitting percentage and blocks per game. She currently has 549 kills this season, 11 away from setting a new Santa Clara single-season record, while her 5.33 kills per game average is the best single-season average in Bronco Volleyball history.
Sousa adds first team honors to go along with last year's honorable mention honor after leading the nation with her 14.44 assists per game average, while her 14.69 assists per game average in WCC only matches was nearly one full assist ahead of the next closest setter. She has tallied 1,560 assists this season, the third highest single-season total in SCU history, while her 3,451 career assists currently ranks her fourth.
Biniek earns her first postseason honor after finishing fifth in the conference in hitting percentage with her .353 percentage in 14 conference matches. Hirsch gets her second-straight nod on the all-conference team after leading the Broncos with her 3.48 digs per game, while her 3.43 digs per game in conference play ranked her sixth. Lantz earns the honor after being vaulted into the lineup due to early season injuries. She made the most of her opportunities, racking up 3.56 kills per game and 4.12 points per game in league play, both of which were in the top-10.
The Broncos wrapped up their regular season Tuesday night at No. 4 Stanford and will now await word on their postseason fate. The 64-team bracket will be announced live on ESPNEWS Sunday evening at 6 p.m. The 13th-ranked Broncos are expected to join No. 8 Pepperdine and No. 25 San Diego in the field of 64.
2002 All-WCC Teams
Player of the Year: Katie Wilkins, Pepperdine
Defensive Player of the Year: Carlie Price, Portland
Freshman of the Year: Breegan Mulligan, Pepperdine; Lindsey Sherburne, San Diego
Coach of the Year: Nina Matthies, Pepperdine
2002 WCC All-Conference Team:
Brittanie Budinger , USF
Devon Forster, USD
Noel Frohman, USD
Lyndsey Hache', PEP
Kealani Kimball, LMU
Tiana Newsome, LMU
Becky Potter, SCU
Debra Robertson, USD
Paola Rodriguez, PEP
Stacy Rouwenhorst, PEP
Kelli Sousa, SCU
Katie Wilkins, PEP
Honorable Mention:
Abbey Cullen, GON; Kristen Gallup, LMU; Brie Harris, PEP; Breegan Mulligan, PEP; Carlie Price, POR; Sara Vercruyssen, POR; Lindsey Bogason, SMC; Brooke Lowry, SMC; Stacey O'Conner, SMC; Kristen Hurst, USD; Lindsey Sherburne, USD; Becky Biniek, SCU; Chrissy Hirsch, SCU; Alyssa Lantz, SCU