The Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU) is pleased to announce its selection of Western Kentucky's Megan Argabright as the 2005 CVU.com Freshman of the Year.
A 6-1 middle hitter from Louisville, Ky., Argabright was a force at the net, helping the Lady Toppers to one of their best seasons ever.
Western Kentucky finished the season 31-3 overall and was perfect in Sun Belt play, compiling a 12-0 record and another conference title. Argabright led the way offensively with 3.79 kills per game, tops on the team, but also didn't waste many swings, hitting a team best .405. That hitting percentage was also tops among all freshmen and good enough for eighth overall nationally.
On the defensive side of things, Argabright didn't let down. Recording another team best, she averaged 1.05 blocks per game. She also added 35 digs and 26 aces on the season.
Her hitting totals were also near the top of the conference, as Argabright was first in the Sun Belt in hitting percentage and third in kills. She was seventh in the conference in blocks.
Argabright picked up conference Freshman of the Year honors for her efforts and helped the Lady Toppers advance to the NCAA tournament, where they fell to Louisville in the first round.
CVU has also chosen 14 other freshmen as its Rising Stars. Not only did they excel this season, but expect them to do great things in the future.
Not only did she lead the way for her team in kills, but Tulane's Sara Radosevic also finished 10th in the nation and tops among freshmen, averaging 5.24 kills per game. The outside hitter from Zagreb, Croatia tallied 388 kills while playing in all of the Green Wave's 74 games. She also added 2.49 digs per game. Radosevic was instrumental in Tulane's Conference USA Tournament run, recording 26 then 34 kills in a pair of upsets over Rice and Tulsa.
Wasting no time in making herself at home in the Division I ranks, Nicole Fawcett made her mark as one of the nations top hitters in her first season, leading Penn State not only in kills with 4.51 per game, but also helping the Nittany Lions to another Big Ten title. Fawcett ranked third among freshmen in kills per game and 36th overall. She compiled a .309 hitting percentage in her first season, as well as averaging 1.8 digs and 0.8 blocks per game as part of CVU's Defensive Team of the Year.
Just as big a part of the success was Fawcett's partner at the net, Christa Harmotto. While Fawcett made a big splash offensively, Harmotto led the team in blocks, averaging 1.5 per game, good enough for second among all freshmen. Not that she was slouch on the attack, where the 6-2 middle hitter tallied 2.96 kills per game on .356 hitting (fifth among freshmen).
Another Conference USA newcomer to break out early was UAB's Ivana Bozic. The 6-1 outside hitter played in all of the Blazers' games and led the team in kills with 4.45 per game, good enough for sixth among freshman. She was also third on the team with 2.75 digs per game. Bozic led the conference in aces with .63 per game, which was second among all freshmen, and had a season high eight aces against SMU in the conference tournament. Showing her versatility, Bozic also led the team with double-doubles, tallying 14 on the season.
Already putting her name in the record books at Clemson, Jeannette Abbott set a school record for kills by a freshman with 515 and went on to earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors. She averaged 4.36 kills per game and complemented that with 2.58 digs per game. The 6-0 outside hitter also tallied 79 total blocks and 25 service aces.
Stanford was graced with a pair of freshmen standouts this season in Foluke Akinradewo and Cynthia Barboza. Second among freshman in hitting with a .397 percentage, Akinradewo average 3.92 kills per game and led the Cardinal in blocking with 1.09 per game. She earned Pac-10 Freshman of the Year accolades for her performances and missed only one game all season. Barboza meanwhile was on a tear, leading the conference with a 4.5 kills per game average on .306 hitting until she tore her ACL midway through the season. Despite only playing in 21 of the team's matches, expect Barboza to return and make a big impact next season.
The Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, Illinois State's Erin Lindsey, made immediate contributions with her all-around play. The 5-7 setter was second among all freshmen, averaging 13.34 assists per game in running the Redbird offense. Lindsey also contributed other ways, averaging 0.88 kills per game, 2.42 digs, 0.5 blocks and adding 31 service aces.
Lindsey wasn't the only Missouri Valley Conference freshman setter to have a strong season, though. Kore Lebeda stepped in and took over for Creighton, averaging 13.34 assists per game, best among freshmen. Lebeda also added 2.54 digs and 0.66 blocks per game to her freshman tally.
Another setter making an immediate impact was UCLA's Nellie Spicer. A youngster on a young team (UCLA loses only one senior), Spicer was third among freshmen, averaging 12.62 assists per game as the Bruins advanced to the NCAA Regionals. The 5-10 setter also averaged nearly a killer per game (0.96) and picked up 316 digs for a 2.8 digs per game average. She also chipped in 76 blocks.
If she continues at her freshman pace, Lara Newberry is going to need a lot more room for awards. Not only was the Chattanooga newcomer named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, but she also earned Libero of the Year and Second Team honors as well. Best among all freshmen, the 5-7 libero averaged 6.03 digs per game, which was also good enough for seventh overall nationally.
Another defensive standout was Duke's Jourdan Norman. At only 5-11, the middle hitter was tops among all freshmen, and 12th in the nation, in blocking, averaging 1.61 blocks per game. She also chipped in 2.39 kills per game and 1.25 digs in helping the Blue Devils advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Also a solid blocker, and another part of a strong Conference USA freshman class, Natalie Peters was a force at the net for SMU. A 6-0 middle blocker, Peters led the team with a 1.41 block per game average, and was second in kills with 3.07 per game. Her blocking average was good enough for 34th nationally and fourth among freshmen.
A year on the sidelines paid off for Jessie Nevitt, who earned plenty of accolades for her first season on the court. After redshirting, the Cincinnati middle made an impact this year, averaging 1.38 blocks and 3.11 kills per game. Her block total was fifth among freshman and first on the team, while she was second on the team in kills. Nevitt earned Big East Freshman of the Year honors and was named First Team All-Conference.
Freshman of the Year
Megan Argabright, Western Kentucky
Rising Stars
- Sara Radosevic, Tulane
- Nicole Fawcett, Penn State
- Christa Harmotto, Penn State
- Ivana Bozic, UAB
- Jeannette Abbott, Clemson
- Foluke Akinradewo, Stanford
- Cynthia Barboza, Stanford
- Erin Lindsey, Illinois State
- Kore Lebeda, Creighton
- Nellie Spicer, UCLA
- Lara Newberry, Chattanooga
- Jourdan Norman, Duke
- Natalie Peters, SMU
- Jessie Nevitt, Cincinnati
The Rising Stars are not listed in a specific order.
Statistical category rankings used are based on players who played in 75% or more of their team's overall games.
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