Roni Jones-Perry of Brigham Young University, Stanford University’s Kathryn Plummer, Jordyn Poulter of the University of Illinois and Samantha Seliger-Swenson from the University of Minnesota are the four finalists for the Class of 2019 Honda Sport Award for Volleyball as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 43 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2019 Honda Cup which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2019, in downtown Los, Angeles.
The nominees were chosen by a panel of coaches representing the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The Honda Sport award winner for volleyball will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
Jones-Perry, a senior outside hitter from West Jordan, Utah, was the West Coast Conference and Pacific South Region Player of the Year while earning first-team AVCA All-American honors. She led her team to a No. 1 ranking for 11-straight weeks and finished the year ranked fourth nationally in kills per set (4.82) and points per set (5.57). She was the only player in the nation in 2018 to average at least 4.80 kills and .40 aces per set.
Plummer is a two-time AVCA, espnW and Pac-12 Player of the Year. The junior outside hitter from Aliso Viejo, Calif., was also a Honda Award nominee last season. She is the first player since 2002 to win back-to-back AVCA Player of the Year honors and is a three-time AVCA first-team All-American. She led her team with 11 double-doubles and hit .300 or better in 15 matches. Overall, she ranked sixth nationally in points per set (5.37) and 11th in kills per set (4.70).
Poulter, a senior setter from Aurora, Colo., was the 2018 Big Ten Co-Setter of the Year and is the first-ever Illini to earn Setter of the Year honors. She is a three-time AVCA All-American earning first-team honors in 2018. A Senior CLASS Award finalist, she also earned Senior CLASS first-team honors and was her NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player. She ranks third all-time in program history with 5,156 career assists and is the first Illini setter to reach 400 blocks and 1,000 digs.
Seliger-Swenson was the 2018 Big Ten Player of the Year and earned Co-Setter of the Year honors. The senior setter from Minnetonka, Minn., earned AVCA first-team honors which was her fourth nod to the AVCA All-America teams making her the first-ever Gopher to become a four-time All-American. She ranked 8th nationally in assists per set (11.76) and finished her career ranked fourth in school history with 5,674 assists.
Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sport Award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2019 Honda Cup award presented in June.
The CWSA, celebrating its 43rd year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.3 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.
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