January 23, 2006
College Volleyball Update (CVU) has announced that outside hitter Laura Jones of Texas A&M has been named to the inaugural CVU.com Stellar Spikers first team.
Jones, who is now playing professionally for Pinkin (Corozal) in Puerto Rico, led the nation with a school-record 6.09 kills per game in 2005 while directing the Aggies to a 16-14 mark and their 13th consecutive NCAA appearance. The two-time All-American from Arlington, Texas, also set A&M and Big 12 season records with 700 total kills and 6.73 points per game in her final season.
Jones, who also set the A&M all-time career record with 2,064 kills, led the Aggies in kills in 29 of 30 matches and was the only player in the Big 12 to tally 30 or more kills in a match this season. She accomplished the feat eight times, including a school-record 38 kills in the regular-season finale at No. 10 Missouri.
According to CVU.com, the Stellar Spikers team consists of players who exhibited excellence and balance. While NCAA statistical rankings were considered, they weren't the only consideration. Also considered was the impact the player had on helping her team succeed, as well as conference awards.
First- and second-team selections were formed around the idea of building a team with a starting line up of seven players and then two players per starting slot were chosen to fill out each team.
The following is the 14-member CVU.com Stellar Spikers First Team:
CVU.com Stellar Spikers First Team
Name Position Class Team Conference
Lauren Brewster MB Sr. Notre Dame Big East
Melissa Elmer MB Sr. Nebraska Big 12
Kim Glass OH Sr. Arizona Pac-10
Amanda McCormick L Jr. Ball State Mid-American
Jenny McReynolds L Jr. Princeton Ivy
Savanah Parra S Jr. Ohio Mid-American
Jane Collymore OH Sr. Florida SEC
Laura Jones OH Sr. Texas A&M Big 12
Kelly Paiva OH Sr. Florida Atlantic Atlantic Sun
Kristin Richards OH Jr. Stanford Pac-10
Sanja Tomasevic OH Sr. Washington Pac-10
Victoria Prince MB Sr. Hawaii WAC
Courtney Thompson S Sr. Washington Pac-10
Lena Ustymenko OH Sr. Louisville Big East