TicketsBearcats Dominate Conference USA Awards
DuPont, Lauder, Hellsten earn top honors
Contact: Shawn Sell
11/20/2003
Julie DuPont, the 2003 Conference USA Player of the Year. |
NEW ORLEANS, La.--Junior Julie DuPont was named conference player of the year as the 23rd-ranked University of Cincinnati volleyball team dominated the Conference USA awards, announced by the league on Thursday in conjunction with the opening of the conference tournament.
In addition to DuPont?s (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) accolade, senior Laura Lauder (Louisville, Ky./Presentation Academy) was named the C-USA Setter of the Year, while Myanna Hellsten (Austin, Texas/St. Michael?s Academy) picked up the league?s Freshman of the Year honor.
The Bearcats also faired well on the four all-conference squads. DuPont and Lauder both earned a slot on the first team, while junior Rachel Torblaa (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) and sophomore Lindsey Garrison (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) were named to the third team. Hellsten also earned a spot on the all-freshmen team.
DuPont?s award as player of the year is the first such award for the Bearcats since the inception of C-USA nine years ago. This marks the third straight all-conference honor for DuPont and her first selection to the first team. DuPont was a second team pick last season and earned all-freshmen honors in 2001. This season, DuPont leads C-USA in kills (5.56) and points (6.40) per game, while ranking 11th nationally in kills. Additionally, DuPont is eighth in the league in digs per game (3.30) and is hitting a career-best .283.
Lauder becomes the second UC player in C-USA history to be named setter of the year, joining Annie Gant in 1999. The awards marks the fourth straight year that Lauder has been honored by the league. She was a third team choice last season, after being chosen to the second team in 2001. In 2000, Lauder was touted as C-USA?s Co-Freshman of the Year. Lauder has made her senior year one to remember as she has led the conference and ranked in the top-three nationally all season with a career-best 14.25 assists per game. She has also tacked on a career-best 2.55 digs per game.
Hellsten being honored as freshman of the year contiues UC?s stranglehold on the award. In the nine years of C-USA, the Bearcats have earned freshman or co-freshman of the year five times. Hellsten ranks second in C-USA with 1.30 blocks per game and has added 1.94 kills per game offensively, while hitting .264.
Torblaa and Garrison are both first time honorees by the conference. Torblaa is fourth in C-USA in blocks per game (1.26) and sixth in hitting percentage (.319). Against TCU on Nov. 8, Torblaa broke the school record for block assists in a three-game match with 12. On offense, Torblaa is averaging a career-best 3.09 kills per game, including a career-best 20 vs. Eastern Kentucky.
Garrison was named the third team all C-USA libero after finishing the regular season ranked third in the league with a career-high 4.14 digs per game. Garrison registered four 25-plus kill efforts this season, including a personal-best 30 vs. Tulane. With the effort against the Green Wave, Garrison became the first Bearcat player since Trish Ladusaw in 2000 to record at least 30 digs in a match.
The Bearcats, seeded No. 1 after winning a share of the C-USA regular season title, open tournament play on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT in Tulane?s Fogelman Arena. UC will face the winner of the Houston-USF match to be played on Friday.