University of Houston Athletics
Gonzalez Named Defensive Player of the Year
11/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 18, 2004
HOUSTON - Junior libero Jaci Gonzalez was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year by league coaches on Thursday, coming on the eve of the C-USA Tournament.
Joining Gonzalez in the league honors is sophomore Kelly McAnelly who garnered All-Conference Third-Team honors for her play in 2004.
Gonzalez, who was also named to the C-USA First Team, led the league in digs per game with 5.49 on the season and 5.45 against C-USA opponents, set a new C-USA and school record with those same marks, and is currently No. 3 on the all-time C-USA list for digs in a season with 576 entering the conference tournament.
At Houston, Gonzalez, a former two-time Second Team All-Conference USA performer, broke her own record for digs in a single season, where she now holds the top three marks, and claimed the career dig title with her second dig against Saint Louis back on Nov. 11.
For McAnelly, the Third-Team honor is the second conference nod of her career after being named to the All-Freshman team one year ago.
McAnelly led the Cougars in kills with 432 entering Friday's tournament match, ranked in the conference's top five in kills per game and points per game.
For the second-consecutive year, Cincinnati senior Julie DuPont was named the league's Player of the Year. Louisville head coach Leonid Yelin, who led his squad to a perfect 13-0 mark in league play this season, was selected by his coaching peers as the 2004 C-USA Coach of the Year. Kristina Fabris, who helped lead USF to its tenth-consecutive C-USA Tournament berth, was named the 2004 Freshman of the Year.
The 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Volleyball Tournament is set to begin this Friday, Nov. 19 at Cardinal Arena in Louisville, Ky., with No. 8 seed Houston facing No. 9 ECU at 1:00 p.m. (EST).
2004 ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
All-Conference First Team
Aida Antanaviciute, Saint Louis
Julie DuPont, Cincinnati
Jaci Gonzalez (L), Houston
Bing Sun, Louisville
Dominika Szabo, TCU
Lena Ustymenko, Louisville
Heather Watts (S), Memphis
All-Conference Second Team
Theresa Coughlin, Marquette
Deva Fowler, Tulane
Tiara Gilkey, Memphis
Rachel Torblaa, Cincinnati
Sarah Vernon (S), Marquette
Talaya Whitfield (L), TCU
Anastasia Yartseva, Louisville
All-Conference Third Team
Janet Goreham, DePaul
Ellen Hayes (L), DePaul
Myann Hellsten, Cincinnati
Jennifer Hoffman, Louisville
Erin Ludeke (S), TCU
Kelly McAnelly, Houston
Anna Vaughn, TCU
All-Freshman Team
Svetlana Dukule, Louisville
Kristina Fabris, USF
Sutton Lasater, Saint Louis
Elenda Pilnikova, Louisville
Kimberly Todd, Marquette
Talaya Whitfield, TCU
Player of the Year
Julie DuPont, Cincinnati
Coach of the Year
Leonid Yelin, Louisville
Defensive Player of the Year
Jaci Gonzalez, Houston
Setter of the Year
Heather Watts, Memphis
Freshmen of the Year
Kristina Fabris, USF
