Five Gators Garner AVCA Southeast Region Accolades; Alhassan, Wise Tabbed Freshman and Coach of Year
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 | Volleyball
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Florida freshman middle Rhamat Alhassan and head coach Mary Wise highlighted the Gators' 2014 AVCA All-Region Awards, announced by the coaches association Tuesday afternoon, Alhassan as the Southeast Region Freshman of the Year and Wise the Southeast Region Coach of the Year.
Alhassan, fellow middle Simone Antwi, junior setter Mackenzie Dagostino and sophomore right side Alex Holston were all named to the AVCA Southeast Region Team, while senior libero Holly Pole picked up Southeast Region Honorable Mention accolades her final campaign donning the Orange and Blue.
Wise and Alhassan are eligible for AVCA National Coach and Freshman of the Year awards, while UF's All-Region honorees will be up for All-America status this season. Alhassan is UF's fourth AVCA Region Freshman of the Year in program history, while Wise picked up her 11th Region Coach of the Year honor at Florida.
The No. 8 Seed Florida volleyball team is preparing to make its 22nd NCAA Regional Semifinals appearance this week, all of those in Wise's 24-year tenure at the helm of the Gator volleyball program. The SEC Champion Gators will square off with No. 9 Seed Illinois in the second match of the Ames, Iowa, Regional Friday at 8 p.m. ET. UF is riding a 22-match win streak into Friday's showdown, the longest in the nation.
The Gators won the program's 21st SEC title this season after running the table in the SEC for the 13th time in program history, this year with an 18-0 mark. UF is now 27-3 overall this year and making its 25th NCAA Tourney run. With three more wins, UF would notch its 10th 30-win season.
For the second consecutive year, Antwi and Holston garnered Southeast Region recognition, while Dagostino and Pole were honored by the AVCA for the first time in their Gator careers.
2014 AVCA SOUTHEAST REGION AWARDS | COMPLETE AVCA REGION AWARDS RELEASE
| First Name | Last Name | School | Position | Yr. |
| Kaye | Alese Green | UCF | MB | RS Sr. |
| Rhamat | Alhassan | University of Florida | MB | Fr. |
| Simone | Antwi | University of Florida | MB | Jr. |
| Morgan | Bergren | University of Kentucky | S | Jr. |
| Kia | Bright | UCF | OH | So. |
| Mackenzie | Dagostino | University of Florida | S | Jr. |
| Alex | Holston** | University of Florida | RS | So. |
| Carly | Kan** | University of Missouri | OH | So. |
| Kadi | Kullerkann | University of Houston | OH/RS | RS Jr. |
| Jackie | Napper | University of Kentucky | L | Sr. |
| Lauren | O'Conner | University of Kentucky | OH | Sr. |
| DeLaina | Sarden** | UCF | MB | Sr. |
| Anni | Thomasson | University of Kentucky | OH | So. |
| Caroline | Young** | SMU | OH | Sr. |
Honorable Mention
| First Name | Last Name | School | Position | Year |
| Avery | Acker | SMU | S | Jr. |
| Erin | Fairs | USF | OH | Jr. |
| Janelle | Giordano | SMU | MB | So. |
| Jale | Hervey | UCF | OH | So. |
| Holly | Pole | University of Florida | L | Sr. |
| Lauren | Wright | University of Memphis | MB | Sr. |
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Rhamat Alhassan, Florida, MB
COACH OF THE YEAR: Mary Wise, Florida
RHAMAT ALHASSAN HIGHLIGHTS
· 2014 AVCA Southeast Region Team
· Southeast Region Freshman of the Year (fourth in program history, last éiva Recek in 2012
· SEC Freshman of the Year, All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman
· Florida's fifth SEC Freshman of the Year (last éiva Recek in 2012)
· Has UF in blocks in 28 of 30 matches entering Regional Semis
· No. 1 in the nation in hitting efficiency (.471)
· Five-time SEC Offensive/Freshman Player of the Week
· Sept. 16 AVCA Division I National Player of the Week
· Featured in Nov. 10 Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd
SIMONE ANTWI HIGHLIGHTS
· 2014 AVCA Southeast Region, her second straight year with All-Region honors
· 2014 All-SEC Team
· Ranks 24th in NCAA in hitting efficiency (.392)
· Ranks second for the Gators with her .392 clip
· Averages 0.68 blocks per set for Florida, third on the team
· Notched a career-high 16 kills against Ole Miss as UF claimed the 2014 SEC Crown outright against the Rebels
· Also hit a career-best .875 in UF's sweep of Mississippi State Oct. 26
MACKENZIE DAGOSTINO HIGHLIGHTS
· 2014 AVCA Southeast Region Team
· 2014 All-SEC
· Ranks No. 13 in NCAA with 11.47 assists per set
· Ranks No. 14 in NCAA with 0.44 aces per set
· Leads the SEC in conference play in aces (0.48/s) and ranks second in assists (11.43/s)
· Notched four double-doubles this season, including UF's upset against No. 3 Texas Nov. 29 in the regular-season finale
· Led the SEC in service aces overall (0.44/s) and in SEC play (0.46/s)) and ranked second in assists per set both overall (11.47/s) and in league play (11.63/s)
· Nov. 24 SEC Player of the Week
ALEX HOLSTON HIGHLIGHTS
· 2014 AVCA Southeast Region Team for second consecutive year
· SEC Player of the Year, All-SEC
· Florida's 12th SEC Player of the Year (last Chloe Mann in 2012)
· Had a career-best 29 kills as UF upset No. 3 Texas Nov. 29
· Has 10 double-digit kill performances in UF's last 11 games entering the Regional Semis
· Had first career double-double at Georgia (12K, 11D)
· Three-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week
HOLLY POLE HIGHLIGHTS
· 2014 AVCA Southeast Region Honorable Mention
· SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year
· 2014 SEC Community Service Team
· Florida's third SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year (last Kristy Jaeckel in 2011)
· 3.5 GPA as a double-major in Accounting and Sport Management
· Third student at the University of Florida in 20 years to be approved for a double major in the Accounting Department
· Two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week
· Florida's nominee for SEC Libero of the Year – had most service aces (0.42/s) and least amount of reception errors (3 on 296 receptions) among all candidates
· Averages 3.33 digs per set to lead the Gators this season
MARY WISE | SOUTHEAST REGION COACH OF THE YEAR
· 2014 AVCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year | 11th Region Coach of Year honor (last 2010)
· 2014 SEC Coach of the Year | 14th SEC Coach of the Year honor (1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014)
· Led Florida to 22 Regional Semifinals last 24 years and a 60-23 (.723) NCAA Tournament record, seven Final Fours and one National Championship appearance
· Has led the Gators to 21 of the last 24 SEC Championships, seven Final Fours and 24 consecutive NCAA Tournament berths
· Third-winningest active Division I Coach
· The only active DI female head coach to reach the 800-win milestone (did so Sept. 12 in a 3-0 win at then-No. 6 Southern California)
· At Florida (24 seasons): 741-87 (.895) | Career (28 seasons): 822-150 (.846)
· All-time in the SEC (since arriving at UF in '91): 376-18 (.954)
