December 06, 2000
Texas A&M outside hitter Erin Gibson and setter Jenna Moscovic were named to the All-Central Region team, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced today.
Gibson and Moscovic, both first-team All-Big 12 Conference selections, directed A&M to a second-place tie in the Big 12 with a 14-6 record and also led A&M to its eight consecutive NCAA tournament appearance where the Aggies advanced to the second round and finished the season with a 20-9 mark. In addition, the two were instrumental in A&M's record-setting season in which the team broke the school all-time records, led the Big 12 and was ranked in the top five in the nation with 19.00 kills, 17.21 assists and 20.47 digs per game.
Gibson is making her first appearance on the all-region team after having a sensational season in her first year as a starter. The junior from Houston, led the Aggies with 4.42 kills and 4.25 digs per game for the full season. In conference play only, Gibson led the league and tied the A&M record held by former A&M All-American Stacy Sykora with 4.54 digs per game. In addition, Gibson set A&M records with 315 kills and a 4.70 kill average in Big 12 action.
"Erin became a complete player, from defense to attacking to being a primary passer," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "We relied heavily on her, and as a first-time starter, she went way above and beyond all expectations. We had to have Erin on the court to get the wins, and it was fun watching her emerge as one of the top outside hitters in the Big 12. I'm really proud of the work she has put it and where it has gotten her."
Moscovic is making her second consecutive appearance on the all-region team after also posting a record-setting season for the Aggies. The junior from Stockton, Calif., set an A&M season record by averaging 14.00 assists per game in Big 12 matches and also became the Aggies' career leader with 2,488 assists in conference play. Moscovic, who also set an A&M all-time record with 88 assists in a four-game victory at Texas, ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 13.63 assists per game for the full season.
"Jenna is very deserving of this honor," Corbelli said, "especially given the fact that she didn't have a dominating attacker like she has had in the past with the likes of All-Americans Stacy Sykora and Amber Woolsey. It is harder on setters when they don't have a go-to player all of the time, but Jenna made some extremely important decisions while setting a very balanced offense. Her experience and composure on the court were a strong point in leading us to another successful season."
The Central Region encompasses the 40 teams in the Big 12, the Mid-Continentant Conference, the Missouri Valley Conference and the Southland Conference. Gibson and Moscovic represent two of the top 12 players in the region.
The following is the complete 12-member All-Central Region team:
Central Region
Kelle Branting Kansas State University MB Sr.
Greichaly Cepero University of Nebraska S So.
Erin Gibson Texas A&M University OH Jr.
Elizabeth Gower University of Colorado S So.
Kendra Haselhorst**** Illinois State University MB Sr.
Amber Holmquist University of Nebraska MB So.
Jenny Kropp University of Nebraska MB Jr.
Melissa McGehee Texas Tech University RS/Opp So.
Jenna Moscovic ** Texas A&M University S Jr.
Laura Pilakowski University of Nebraska OH So.
Colleen Smith Texas Tech University OH Sr.
Liz Wegner Kansas State University OH Jr.
Central Region Freshman of the Year: Stevie Nicholas, Baylor University, OH
(* denotes previous times selected to the All-Region team)
All-region selections are now entered into the pool for All-American honors, which will be announced Dec. 13.