Colleen Ward Named SEC Freshman of the Week
Monday, September 22, 2008 | Volleyball
Freshman Florida outside hitter Colleen Ward (Naperville, Ill.) has been named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for her strong performances against Georgia and LSU this past weekend, the league office in Birmingham, Ala., announced Monday.
In her first Southeastern Conference weekend as a collegiate athlete, Ward led the Gators with 3.57 kills per set and 31.0 total points, and was tied for second on the team in digs per set with 1.86 during that two-match stretch.
Ward, who has recorded double-digit kills in three of her last four matches, had a team-leading 10 kills against Georgia on Friday night and a career-high and team-leading 15 kills vs. LSU on Sunday afternoon. Ward hit .385 on the weekend, hitting .400 vs. the Bulldogs and .375 vs. the Tigers. She also tied her career high in block assists on Sunday with three and tallied a career-high 17.5 points in that match.
“Colleen has put together back-to-back great matches for us,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “What we love about her is that she can not only point score, but she also doesn't give away points to the other team. She is a very low-error player. Though her serves didn't always go for aces, we were able to score points off of them.”
Ward is one of Florida's most consistent performers this season, having charted seven or more kills in eight of the team's nine matches this year and has hit .300 or better in four matches. She has either led or tied for the team lead in points in each of the last two matches.
Ward had the conference's fifth-best individual offensive output of the weekend, as she was one of only five players in the league - and the only freshman - to average better than 3.50 kills per set in the opening weekend of conference play.
For the season, Ward ranks second on the team in kills with 2.27 kills per set and is third on the squad in hitting percentage with a .277 clip. Ward is also third on the team in digs (1.48) and fourth in blocks (0.59).
Ward becomes the second Gator to be named the SEC Freshman of the Week this season, after redshirt freshman Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) earned the same award on Sept. 2 and Sept. 8. A Florida player has earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors in three of the four weeks of the 2008 regular season.
Since the start of the 2007 season, Florida has had its volleyball student-athletes earn four SEC Freshman of the Week honors, tied for the most of any team in the league.
Ward and the Gators return to action on Friday when they travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to face the Arkansas Razorbacks. Opening serve in Barnhill Arena is set for 8 p.m. EDT and the match will be carried live on GatorVision Online and ROCK 104 with Tom Collett.
For all of the latest information on Florida volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com.
WEEK 4 SEC HONOREES
SEC Offensive Player of the Week – Sarah Mendoza, Kentucky
SEC Defensive Player of the Week – Chloe Goodman, Tennessee
SEC Freshman of the Week – Colleen Ward, Florida
2008 SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOREES
Week 1 – Kristy Jaeckel, Florida
Week 2 – Kristy Jaeckel, Florida
Week 3 – Regina Thomas, Ole Miss
Week 4 – Colleen Ward, Florida
MOST SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK RECEIPIENTS OVER LAST 2 YEARS
Florida – 4
Kentucky – 4
Tennessee – 3
Georgia – 2
Ole Miss – 2
LSU – 1
South Carolina - 1
END OF REPORT
