Red Roof II: Elmer Named CVU.com Blocker of the Year

The Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU) is pleased to announce its selection of Nebraska's Melissa Elmer as the 2005 CVU.com Blocker of the Year.

A 6-2 senior from Fort Wayne, Ind., Elmer led the nation with 2.17 blocks per game, putting back 250 total (17 solo, 233 assists). Elmer was one of only three players to tally more than 200 blocks for the year, and finished tops in block assists.

This is Elmer's second consecutive season leading the nation, and the second-straight year she has been in the CVU top five.

Also making the list for the second consecutive season is LSU's Ivana Kuzmic, who averaged 1.71 blocks per game. Kuzmic, a senior from Split, Croatia, tallied 23 solo blocks and 160 block assists on the season.

Amy Allison of Arkansas, UCLA's Nana Meriwether and Oklahoma's Eliane Santos round out the list.

Also out of the SEC, Allison, a 6-2 junior from Jenks, Okla., led the conference in blocking and was second in the nation, averaging 1.83 blocks a game. She totaled 43 solos and 153 assists on the year.

One of the top blockers on the West Coast, not to mention the country, UCLA junior Nana Meriwether was second in the country in solo blocks, tallying 43 on the year. She finished with 196 total blocks for a 1.73 blocks per game average.

Despite playing in only 92 games, Oklahoma junior Eliane Santos made the most of her time, averaging 1.58 blocks per game and totaling 144 on the season.

Blocker of the Year

Melissa Elmer, Nebraska

Honorable Mentions

• Amy Allison, Arkansas
• Nana Meriwether, UCLA
• Ivana Kuzmic, LSU
• Eliane Santos, Oklahoma

To qualify, a player need to play in 75% or more of the team's overall games.

To aid selection, player stats were used. Rather than strictly using blocks per game, a formula was developed to score blocking. An average number of opponent attempts per game was figured, and by using that, an approximate efficiency was calculated. Also, instead of counting solo blocks and block assists as equal, they were scaled as is done in team stats, with blocks assists counting half. Further, a player's blocking errors were also including in the figures to come up with the final numbers.

This formula is still being developed to include more blocking variables. For more information on the methods used, to provide input, or help develop these methods, please contact CVU here. Feedback is welcome.

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