Nov. 21, 2006
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara volleyball team saw four of its members earn All-West Coast Conference honors Tuesday afternoon, as middle blocker Anna Cmaylo and outside hitter Kim McGiven were named to the First Team, libero Caroline Walters earned honorable mention recognition, and setter/opposite hitter Lindsy Evans was named to the WCC All-Freshman team.
For McGiven, Tuesday's honor marks the third year in a row that she has been named to the First Team. Cmaylo has now earned first-team honors in consecutive years, while for Walters, it is her third-straight All-WCC honorable mention nod.
All four Broncos were significant contributors to a 2006 squad that finished the regular season 20-7, marking the third consecutive year that Santa Clara had reached the 20-win mark.
McGiven, a senior out of Encinitas, has been one of the WCC's top hitters the past three seasons, and at the end of the regular season sits third in the conference with 4.30 kills a game. She also posted 10 double-doubles on the season, as well as posting the highest amount of kills in a four-game match among WCC players when she put down 27 kills against Sacramento State on Sept. 19.
Coming off of an All-America season in 2005, Cmaylo was dominant again in 2006, leading the West Coast Conference with a .407 hitting percentage. Cmaylo also put down 3.83 kills a game to rank seventh in the conference, while defensively, she made 1.14 blocks a game, eighth-best total among WCC players.
Already on pace to become probably the greatest libero in Santa Clara history, Walters was named an All-WCC honorable mention for the third-straight season. Through the 27 regular season contests, she is fourth in the WCC with 4.35 digs a game, and more importantly, provides the swagger and confidence that has played a major role in Santa Clara's three 3-2 comeback wins which saw the Broncos bounce back from an 0-2 deficit each time.
Evans, a freshman setter/opposite hitter, took over duties at the opposite early in the season, and quickly became a force to be reckoned with not only as an attacker but also as a server and setter. On top of averaging 1.58 kills and 0.81 blocks a game up front, the Sonora native is fourth in the WCC with 0.40 service aces a game. Evans also stepped up for the Broncos for the first nine matches of the conference season, replacing an injured Crystal Matich at the setter spot and helping the Broncos to a 6-3 mark in those matches while averaging 12.82 assists a game.
The Broncos will now await word on if they have received a bid to the program's 10th-straight NCAA Tournament as the NCAA Selection Show unveils the Field of 64 on Sunday, Nov. 26 between 12-1 p.m. Pacific on ESPNNEWS.
2006 All-WCC Volleyball Teams
Player of the Year: Kristin Carlson, OH, USD
Defensive Player of the Year: Kekai Crabbe, L, PEP
Freshman of the Year: Kiah Fiers, S, PEP
Coach of the Year: Brent Hilliard, USD
First Team
Laurel Abrahamson, MB, USD
Mandy Bible, S, SMC
Kristin Carlson, OH, USD
Anna Cmaylo, MB, SCU
Kekai Crabbe, L, PEP
Christie Dawson, MH, USD
Kristin Hasselberg, OH, USF
Heather Hughes, OH/OPP, LMU
Christina Kirk, MB/OPP, SMC
Kim McGiven, OH, SCU
Sophia Milo, MB, PEP
Julie Rubenstein, OH, PEP
Honorable Mention
Gonzaga - Heather Dunn, Becky Jones
Loyola Marymount - Christianna Reneau
Pepperdine - Kiah Fiers, Rachel Lumsden
Portland - Murphy McClenahan
Saint Mary's - Missie Stidham
San Diego - Jessica Nyrop
San Francisco - Alix Gombos
Santa Clara - Caroline Walters
All-Freshman
Megan Burton, MB, SMC
Haley Carrol, L, USF
Andrea Csazi, L, USD
Lindsy Evans, S/OPP, SCU
Kiah Fiers, S, PEP
Rachel Lumsden, OH, PEP
Kayla Walkers, OH, PEP
