Kelly Murphy named to CVU.com Stellar Spikers List
Thursday, February 5, 2009 | Volleyball
Freshman Florida right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) has been named to the Collegiate Volleyball Update's (CVU.com) list of Stellar Spikers for the 2008 season, the Web site announced Thursday.
Murphy was named to the Stellar Spikers honorable mention list after the Web site named Murphy a “Rising Star” late last month. Murphy's contributions during the 2008 campaign also earned her the designation of National Freshman of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Volleyball magazine.
In honoring the 88 student athletes from across the nation, CVU.com looked for players that exhibited excellence and balance. While NCAA statistical rankings were considered, they weren't the only consideration. Also considered in forming the two teams of 14 and in choosing the 60 Honorable Mention selections was the impact the player had on helping her team succeed as well as conference awards.
First- and Second-Team selections were formed around the idea of building a team with a starting lineup of seven players and then two players per starting slot were chosen to fill out each team. The honorable mention team did not follow this pattern.
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 STELLAR SPIKERS FIRST TEAM
| Name | Position | Class | Team | Conference |
| Cynthia Barboza | OH | Sr. | Stanford | Pac-10 |
| Hana Cutura | OH | Jr. | California | Pac-10 |
| Nicole Fawcett | OH | Sr. | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Destinee Hooker | OH | Jr. | Texas | Big 12 |
| Yarimar Rosa | OH | Jr. | FIU | Sun Belt |
| Julie Rubenstein | OH | Sr. | Pepperdine | WCC |
| Foluke Akinradewo | MB | Sr. | Stanford | Pac-10 |
| Christa Harmotto | MB | Sr. | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Danielle Hepburn | MB | Sr. | Clemson | ACC |
| Stephanie Lynch | MB | Sr. | Purdue | Big Ten |
| Lara Newberry | L | Sr. | Chattanooga | Southern |
| Brittany Stowers | L | So. | Northern Arizona | Big Sky |
| Alisha Glass | S | Sr. | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Kaylee Manns | S | Jr. | Iowa State | Big 12 |
2008 CVU.COM STELLAR SPIKERS SECOND TEAM
| Name | Position | Class | Team | Conference |
| Ashley Adams | OH | Sr. | Samford | Southern |
| Amy DeGroot | OH | Jr. | San Diego | WCC |
| Megan Hodge | OH | Jr. | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Jordan Larson | OH | Sr. | Nebraska | Big 12 |
| Sammi McCloud | OH | Jr. | Saint Louis | Atlantic 10 |
| Emily Stockman | OH | Jr. | Wichita State | MVC |
| Ashley Asberry | MB | Sr. | Middle Tennessee | Sun Belt |
| Mekana Barnes | MB | Sr. | Colorado State | Mountain West |
| Lauren Gibbemeyer | MB | So. | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| Arielle Wilson | MB | So. | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Shelley Walroth | L | Jr. | Jacksonville | Atlantic Sun |
| Kelly Broussard | L | Sr. | Wichita State | MVC |
| Carli Lloyd | S | So. | California | Pac-10 |
| Meredith Schamun | S | So. | Rice | Conference USA |
2008 CVU.COM STELLAR SPIKERS HONORABLE MENTION
| Name | Position | Class | Team | Conference |
| Sydney Anderson | S | So. | Nebraska | Big 12 |
| Nevena Djordjevic | S | Jr. | Oregon | Pac-10 |
| Jenna Hagglund | S | So. | Washington | Pac-10 |
| Mary Elizabeth Hooper | S | Fr. | Wichita State | MVC |
| Michelle Kocher | S | Fr. | Texas | Big 12 |
| Wioleta Leszczynska | S | Sr. | St. John's | Big East |
| Jillian Mitchell | S | Jr. | Western Michigan | Mid American |
| Kelsey Murphy | S | Jr. | Clemson | ACC |
| Whitney Roth | S | Jr. | Saint Louis | Atlantic 10 |
| Sarah Rumely | S | Jr. | Kentucky | SEC |
| Nellie Spicer | S | Sr. | UCLA | Pac-10 |
| Lexi Zimmerman | S | So. | Michigan | Big Ten |
| Kelly Murphy | S/OH | Fr. | Florida | SEC |
| Elena Martinez | L | Sr. | LSU | SEC |
| Ashley Mass | L | So. | Iowa State | Big 12 |
| Tamari Miyashiro | L | Jr. | Washington | Pac-10 |
| Allison Nieters | L | So. | Iona | MAAC |
| Caitlin Strimel | L | Jr. | Western Michigan | Mid American |
| Amila Barakovic | OH | Sr. | UALR | Sun Belt |
| Jennifer Berwanger | OH | So. | Southern Illinois | MVC |
| Ivana Bozic | OH | Sr. | UAB | Conference USA |
| Lane Carico | OH | Fr. | Miami | ACC |
| Alix Daley | OH | Sr. | UCLA | Pac-10 |
| Emily Day | OH | Sr. | Loyola Marymount | WCC |
| Laura DeBruler | OH | So. | Illinois | Big Ten |
| Brook Dieter | OH | So. | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| Ashley Engle | OH | Jr. | Texas | Big 12 |
| Nikki Fowler | OH | Fr. | Tennessee | SEC |
| Ellen Herman | OH | Jr. | Ohio | Mid American |
| Hayley Hills | OH | Jr. | Eastern Washington | Big Sky |
| Alix Klineman | OH | So. | Stanford | Pac-10 |
| Ivana Kujundzic | OH | Jr. | South Carolina | SEC |
| Gorana Maricic | OH | Sr. | Oregon | Pac-10 |
| Brittany Moore | OH | Sr. | Cal State Fullerton | Big West |
| Karyn Morgan | OH | Sr. | Rice | Conference USA |
| Tara Mueller | OH | So. | Nebraska | Big 12 |
| Sonja Newcombe | OH | Jr. | Oregon | Pac-10 |
| Angie Porche | OH | Jr. | Valparaiso | Horizon |
| Sara Radosevic | OH | Sr. | Tulane | Conference USA |
| Katie Sanders | OH | Jr. | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Rubena Sukaj | OH | Sr. | American | Patriot |
| Burgandy McCurty | MH | Jr. | Siena | MAAC |
| Lori Baird | MB | Sr. | Utah | Mountain West |
| Ashley Benson | MB | So. | Indiana | Big Ten |
| Anna Breyfogle | MB | Jr. | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Lucy Charuk | MB | So. | Houston | Conference USA |
| Elyse Chubb | MB | Fr. | Coll. of Charleston | Southern |
| Brittnee Cooper | MB | Jr. | LSU | SEC |
| Neticia Enesi | MB | Jr. | Oregon | Pac-10 |
| Amanda Gil | MB | Fr. | UCLA | Pac-10 |
| Jaclyn Houston | MB | Sr. | Cal Poly | Big West |
| Jessica Houts | MB | Jr. | Creighton | MVC |
| Alex Kelly | MB | So. | Lipscomb | Atlantic Sun |
| Vanessa King | MB | Jr. | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| Jessie Nevitt | MB | Sr. | Cincinnati | Big East |
| Jourdan Norman | MB | Sr. | Duke | ACC |
| Amber Simpson | MB | Sr. | New Mexico State | WAC |
| Ashten Stelken | MB | Sr. | Northern Iowa | MVC |
| Jessica Swarbrick | MB | Sr. | Washington | Pac-10 |
| Emillie Toone | MB | Sr. | Utah | Mountain West |
MURPHY'S 2008 HONORS AND AWARDS (Date Announced)
- CVU.com Stellar Spikers Honorable Mention (February 5, 2009)
- 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
