Madison Lilley, a senior setter from the University of Kentucky, was named the Honda Sport Award winner 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 45 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 2021 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 28th at 9 pm ET.

Lilley was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Logan Eggleston (Texas), Dana Rettke (Wisconsin) and Stephanie Samedy (Minnesota).

“I first want to start off by thanking the CWSA for honoring me and for their push to make women’s college athletics at the forefront of their mission,” said Lilley. “I have to start off by thanking UK Athletics for giving me the resources to compete at the highest level. The diverse set of culture, mindsets and experiences at Kentucky have given me the opportunity to truly understand what it takes to win championships at this level. I feel empowered, but also motivated to continue pushing and advocating for women’s collegiate athletics. As referenced by the hundreds of thousands of people that watched the 2020 Volleyball Championship, this only motivates me even more to continue to drive home that women’s sports are worthy of time and investments by all entities. I will continue to zealously push hard for the sport of volleyball to grow to unpresented heights and take our game, and women’s athletics as a whole, to the next level.”

Hailing from Overland Park, Kansas, Lilley is the 2021 AVCA Player of the year and a four-time AVCA All-American, including first-team in 2020-21.

The setter led Kentucky to the 2020-21 NCAA National Championship and was named the 2020-21 NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player after posting a career-high 19 digs in the championship match and adding 53 assists. Additionally, she was the 2020-21 SEC Player of the Year and is a four-time SEC honoree along with a 16-time career SEC Setter of the Week.

She is the all-time leader in assists at Kentucky and led the nation and SEC in assists in 2020-21 with 12.37 per set. She recorded 30+ assists in all but two of Kentucky’s 25 matches this season, including all five in the NCAA Tournament.

“I couldn’t be happier for Madison”, stated head coach Craig Skinner. “She has accomplished so much during her career and especially this magical season ending with player of the year honors and the National Championship. To cap it off with the Honda award is amazing and all of us here at Kentucky are so proud of the way she has represented UK, Lexington, and the state.”

“University of Kentucky Athletics is extremely proud to have another winner of a Honda Award, one of the most prestigious and cherished honors in collegiate athletics, “ said Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart. “Madison Lilley is deserving of this distinction in many ways.  Her performance on the court speaks for itself.  In addition, the way Madison leads -- with unyielding commitment to make her teammates their very best – along with her indomitable will to win, combine to make her worthy of this recognition.”

The CWSA, celebrating its 45th anniversary 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 partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs. 

About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility

For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that improve the lives of people while conducting its business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accordingly, Honda believes in helping people reach their life’s potential through its focus on improving children’s health, inspiring underrepresented students, preserving the environment for future generations, creating safety for everyone, and strengthening our communities. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.