December 08, 2004
Texas A&M's Laura Jones and Melissa Munsch have been named to the All-Central Region Team, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced.
"Both players are obviously very deserving of this honor," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said, "not only for their numbers, but for their overall talented play. They were major impact players for our program and definitely were the keys to our success this past season."
Jones and Munsch are each making their second appearance on the 12-member all-region team and will now be considered for All-America honors, which will be announced Dec. 15 at the NCAA Championship in Long Beach, Calif.
"They are among the highest quality collegiate volleyball players in the country, and they deserve serious consideration for All-America honors," Corbelli added.
Jones, a junior outside hitter, led the Aggies and set school records with 4.94 kills and 5.6 points per game for the full season. She also set numerous A&M records in Big 12 matches only, including total kills (358), as well as per game averages for kills (4.84) and points (5.45). In addition, the Arlington, Texas, native set an A&M NCAA tournament record with a career-high 30 kills in the second-round match against Tennessee.
Jones, who received all-region honorable mention as a sophomore and was named to the all-region team as a freshman, was a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week this season and became the first player in A&M history to be named AVCA Player of the Week after leading the Aggies with 27 kills, 20 digs and a .333 hitting percentage in a 3-1 upset over No. 9 Texas.
Jones was the only A&M player to start every match and play in every game this season. She led the team in kills in 21 matches, including 11 matches in which she tallied 20 or more kills. Jones also led the Aggies in points in a team-leading 19 matches as A&M went 19-9 overall and tied Missouri for third place in the Big 12 with a 14-6 mark.
Munsch, a senior middle blocker who earned All-America honors as a junior, led the Aggies in blocks (1.66), digs (3.07) and aces (.44) per game and was second on the team with a .307 hitting efficiency. Her 102 block assists ranks second in the A&M all-time season records, and she completed her stellar career ranked in the top five in the Aggie career records for points, aces, kills, block assists and attempts and listed in the top seven for total blocks and digs.
Munsch, who was named to the All-Big 12 first team for the third consecutive year, was named Co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first A&M player to receive the honor. The Columbus, Texas, native recorded a nation-leading three triple-doubles when considering players who posted double figures in kill, digs and blocks in a single match. She led the Aggies in blocks in 21 matches and in digs in 12 matches.
In addition to being named to the all-region team, Jones and Munsch were named to the All-Big 12 first team and the Academic All-Big 12 second team and also were named to the all-tournament teams at both the McDonald's/Texas A&M Invitational and at the Golden Bear earlier this year.
The following is the complete All-Central Region team selected by the AVCA:
Central Region
Sabrina Apker Southwest Missouri State MB Jr.
Melissa Elmer ** University of Nebraska MB Jr.
Allie Griffin University of Colorado RS/Opp Jr.
Vali Hejjas Kansas State OH Sr.
Bethany Howden ** University of Texas MB Sr.
Lindsey Hunter University of Missouri S Jr
Laura Jones ** Texas A&M University OH Jr.
Melissa Munsch ** Texas A&M University MB Sr.
Sarah Pavan University of Nebraska RS/Opp Fr.
Jennifer Saleaumua ** University of Nebraska OH Jr.
Mira Topic *** University of Texas OH Sr.
Sara Younes Wichita State University RS/Opp Sr.
Region Freshman of the Year: Sarah Pavan, Nebraska, RS/Opp
Honorable Mention: Karen Augspurger (Wichita State, DS/Lib, Sr.), Dani Busboom (Nebraska, S, So.), Gabby Guerre (Kansas State, S, Sr.), Michelle Moriarty (Texas, S, Fr.), Kelly Rikli (Illinois State, S, Sr.), Jessica Vander Kooi (Missouri, OH, So.)