Kelly Murphy Named Rising Star by CVU.com
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 | Volleyball
The honors continue to roll in for freshman Florida right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.), as she was named a “Rising Star” by Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com), it was announced Monday.
Murphy, who has been named the National Freshman of the Year by both the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Volleyball Magazine, made CVU's 17-person list after earning two weekly awards from the Web site during the 2008 regular season.
CVU bestows its “Rising Star” designation on freshmen who “not only did they excel this season, but are expected to do great things in the future,” according to the site, which provides consistent updates on both collegiate men's and women's volleyball.
The honors add to a long list of awards Murphy has already received for an outstanding freshman campaign. The 2008 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, Murphy is just the second player in school history to be named the AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year. She also was an All-South Region selection and an AVCA Third-Team All-American.
Murphy broke the school's career record for triple-doubles just 27 matches into her collegiate career and she now has six triple-doubles to her credit. She also recorded a squad-best 21 double-doubles in 2008, including a stretch of 12 consecutive double-doubles during conference play.
On the season, Murphy averaged a squad-best 3.21 kills per set on a team-high .358 hitting percentage. She led the team in total points with 412.0 and also was second in both assists (5.50/set) and digs (1.88/set). She was eighth in the SEC in kills per set and second in hitting percentage. She dished out 20 or more assists on 15 occasions as part of a 6-2 offense, which ranked second in the league in both team hitting percentage (.253) and team assists (12.51).
Murphy made her mark in the Florida freshman record books, as she ranked in the top 10 in nine different freshmen categories, including tying the freshman school record for kills with 357. She also was second all-time in hitting percentage by a freshman (.358) and kills per set by a freshman (3.22/set).
Murphy was a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week selection (9/29, 10/6, 12/1), who on Sept. 29, 2008 became just the second player in league history to be named both Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week simultaneously. She was named the AVCA/Sports Imports National Player of the Week and the College Volleyball Update (CVU.com) National Player of the Week on Sept. 30, 2008.
In league matches only, Murphy led the team and ranked sixth in the league in kills per set with 3.45. She was third in hitting percentage with a .386 clip in conference play. She led the Gators in total points (293.0) and points per set (3.96). She also ranked second on the team in assists per set (5.51), service aces per set (0.24) and digs per set (1.93) during SEC action.
The University of Florida is home of the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Regionals. For more information on Gator Volleyball, log on to www.GatorZone.com.
2008 CVU.COM RISING STARS
- Freshman of the Year: Mary Elizabeth Hooper, Wichita State
- Lane Carico, Miami
- Kellie Catanach, Duke
- Elyse Chubb, College of Charleston
- Kanani Danielson, Hawaii
- Visnja Djurdjevic, Tulane
- Amanda Gil, UCLA
- Jessica Hays, Central Arkansas
- Rachel Hockaday, Iowa State
- Kim Hill, Pepperdine
- Michelle Kocher, Texas
- Chrissy Knuth, North Dakota State
- Jennifer Lopez, North Dakota State
- Kelly Murphy, Florida
- Becky Pavan, Kentucky
- Stevi Robinson, Pepperdine
- Lexi Sullivan, Northern Arizona
MURPHY'S 2008 HONORS AND AWARDS (Date Announced)
- CVU.com Rising Star (January 26, 2009)
- Under Armour/Volleyball Magazine Freshman of the Year (February 2009 issue)
- Under Armour/Volleyball Magazine Second-Team All-America (February 2009 issue)
- AVCA National Freshman of the Year (December 17, 2008)
- AVCA Third-Team All-America (December 17, 2008)
- AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year (December 10, 2008)
- AVCA All-South Region Selection (December 10, 2008)
- College Volleyball Update (CVU.com) Weekly Top Performer (December 2, 2008)
- Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year (December 1, 2008)
- All-Southeastern Conference First Team (December 1, 2008)
- Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week (September 29, October 6, December 1, 2008)
- Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week (September 30, 2008)
- College Volleyball Update (CVU.com) National Player of the Week (September 30, 2008)
- Southeastern Conference Player of the Week (September 29, 2008)
MURPHY IN THE FLORIDA FRESHMAN RECORD BOOK
| Category | Rank | Statistic |
| Kills by a Freshman | T1st | 357 |
| Kills Per Set by a Freshman | 2nd | 3.22 |
| Hitting Percentage by a Freshman | 2nd | .358 |
| Points by a Freshman | 3rd | 412.0 |
| Points Per Set by a Freshman | 3rd | 3.71 |
| Assists by a Freshman | 5th | 610 |
| Assists Per Set by a Freshman | 5th | 5.50 |
| Attacks by a Freshman | 7th | 699 |
| Games Played by a Freshman | T10th | 111 |
MURPHY'S CAREER STATISTICS
Season GP-MP K K/G E TA Pct A A/G SA SA/G SE DIG D/G RE BS BA TB B/G BE BHE Points Pts/G
2008.. 111-31 357 3.22 107 699 .358 610 5.50 24 0.22 53 209 1.88 1 0 62 62 0.56 4 6 412.0 3.71
TOTAL. 111-31 357 3.22 107 699 .358 610 5.50 24 0.22 53 209 1.88 1 0 62 62 0.56 4 6 412.0 3.71
END OF REPORT
