Four Gators Named to AVCA All-South Region Team
Tuesday, December 7, 2010 | Volleyball
For the first time since the 2003 season, four University of Florida volleyball players have earned All-South Region honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association, the Lexington, Ky., based organization announced Monday.
Senior middle blocker Lauren Bledsoe (Long Beach, Calif.), junior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.), junior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) and senior outside hitter Callie Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.) each earned All-South Region recognition. Murphy garners All-Region honors for the third consecutive year, while Bledsoe, Jaeckel and Rivers all are named All-Region for the first times in their careers.
Bledsoe was a 2010 All-Southeastern Conference First Team selection and has started in each of the team's 30 matches this season. She ranks second on the team and fifth in the SEC with 1.07 blocks per set. She ranks 13th in the nation in hitting percentage with a sizzling .402 efficiency. She is fourth on the team with 1.97 kills per set and has tallied double-figure kills on five occasions this season. Bledsoe has posted four or more blocks in 17 contests in 2010.
Jaeckel was a 2010 All-SEC Second Team selection and has started each of the team's 30 matches this season. She ranks third on the team in kills per set with 2.51 and is eighth in the SEC (all matches combined) with 0.27 service aces per set. She has recorded double-figure kills in 12 matches this season, including four of the last six, and double-figure digs on seven occasions. She has three double-doubles in 2010, including 18 kills and 12 digs vs. Florida State in the NCAA Second Round, a match in which she had the final two kills in the deciding fifth set.
Murphy, the 2010 SEC Player of the Year, earns All-South Region honors for the third consecutive year, making her the first Gator to do so since Angie McGinnis was All-South Region in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Murphy has started each of Florida's 30 matches this season, splitting time at right-side and setter as part of a 6-2 offensive scheme. She is the only player in the SEC to rank among the league's top 10 in service aces per set, hitting percentage and kills per set. She is the SEC's service ace leader with 0.38 aces per set. She ranks fourth in the SEC with a .376 hitting efficiency and is ninth in the SEC with 3.07 kills per set. Murphy has charted a nation-leading seven triple-doubles this season and 23 double-doubles. In last Saturday's win against Florida State in the NCAA Second Round, Murphy became just the 17th player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills.
Rivers was a 2010 All-SEC First Team Selection, starting each of the team's 30 matches at the outside hitter position. She ranks second on the team with 2.52 kills per set and also is second on the team in digs per set with 2.32. She ranks fifth in the SEC with 0.30 service aces per set. Rivers has tallied double-figure kills in 10 contests this season, including a career-high 21 at LSU on Nov. 21. She has seven or more kills in 14 consecutive matches and also has contributed double-figure digs on nine occasions. Rivers boasts three double-doubles this season.
No. 1 Florida returns to action on Friday when it faces 16th-seeded Purdue in the NCAA Regional Semifinals. Opening serve at Gregory Gym in Austin, Texas, is slated for 6 p.m. ET. The match will be carried live on Sun Sports with Larry Vettel and Missy Whittemore, and on WRUF Sports Radio 850 with Tom Collett.
For all of the latest information on Florida volleyball, please log on to www.gatorzone.com/volleyball. Follow Florida volleyball on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneVB and Coach Mary Wise on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorMary.
2010 AVCA ALL-SOUTH REGION
| Name | School | Pos. | Cl. |
| Lauren Bledsoe | Florida | MB | Sr. |
| Nikki Fowler | Tennessee | RS | Sr. |
| Leah Hinkey | Tennessee | MB | Sr. |
| Kristy Jaeckel | Florida | OH | Jr. |
| Kayla Jeter | Tennessee | OH | Jr. |
| Alex Kelly | Lipscomb | MB | Sr. |
| Izabela Kozon | Middle Tennessee State | OH | Sr. |
| Kelly Murphy | Florida | RS/S | Jr. |
| Stacy Oladinni | Middle Tennessee State | MB | Jr. |
| Stefine Pease | Lipscomb | S | Sr. |
| Lauren Rapp | Kentucky | RS | Sr. |
| Callie Rivers | Florida | OH | Sr. |
| Melanie Stutsman | Western Kentucky | S | Fr. |
| Regina Thomas | Ole Miss | MB | Jr. |
Region Freshman of the Year: Melanie Stutsman, Western Kentucky
Honorable Mention: Kayla Albritton (Belmont), Cole Dawley (College of Charleston), Tiffany Elmore (Western Kentucky), Brittney Johnson (LSU), Miranda Kitts (Ole Miss), Michelle Williams (LSU).
