2009 Volleyball Roster
Sep 18 (Thu)
6:00 PM
Kelsey Black
- Height:
- 5-11
- Class:
- Sophomore
- High School:
- Amarillo
- Hometown:
- Amarillo, Texas
Is a team captain who expects the best out of herself and her teammates...A fearless, mentally tough athlete who relishes any competition or challenge thrown her way...A must-have on the court, is always willing to play wherever needed...Has seen action at every position except setter and has matured every phase of her game...Further honed her skills as a member of the USA Volleyball Junior National Team and the USA Volleyball A2 program over the previous three years as both an outside hitter and libero...What she lacks in height, she makes up for with her soaring vertical jump and high extension, as well as her quick, powerful arm swing...Greatly improved her shot selection and her ability to terminate from multiple zones...Established herself as one of the most effective back row attackers in the Big 12 and has one of the most effective jump serves in Aggie volleyball history...Developed into a phenomenal left-side blocker...Helps anchor the Aggies' back row with her passing and defense...Always a feisty and a confident fighter who is exciting to watch because of her explosive speed and overall dynamic athleticism and determination.
Black's Honors
2011AVCA Honorable Mention All-America
AVCA All-Central Region Team
All-Big 12 First Team (unanimous)
Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week (9/12)
SFA Ladyjack Invitational MVP
Portland/Nike Invitational MVP
Texas A&M Invitational MVP
Preseason All-Big 12 Team
2010
USA Volleyball A2 Team, Bronze Medalist, USA Open Championships
All-Big 12 First Team
Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame Volleyball Athlete of the Year
Texas A&M MVP Award
Texas A&M Best Offensive Player Award
Preseason All-Big 12 Team
Texas A&M Invitational All-Tournament Team
MSU JQH Invitational All-Tournament Team
2009
Member of USA Volleyball Junior National Team
Texas A&M Co-Inspirational Player Award
2008
Texas A&M Most Improved Player Award
At Texas A&M
2011 - Senior
Earned AVCA
Honorable Mention All-America and AVCA All-Central Region Team honors and also
was a unanimous selection on the All-Big 12 First Team...Led the team with 3.26
kills and 3.80 points per set and was second on the team with 3.29 digs and
0.25 aces per set for the full season...Ranked sixth in the Big 12 in aces,
eighth in kills and ninth in points per set...In Big 12 matches only, led A&M
with 3.00 kills per set, was second on the team with 3.53 points and 3.53 digs
per set, and was third with 0.22 aces per set...Listed eight in the Big 12 in
aces per set and was 10th in both kills and digs per set in conference matches
only...Led or tied for the team lead in kills in 18 matches and in points in 16
matches...Led the team with 18 double-doubles...Posted double figures in kills in
22 of 31 matches... Reached
double figures in digs in 23 matches, including in 12 of the last 14 matches...Had
three 20-plus dig performances...Posted the 1,000th point of her career in the
3-2 win against No. 22 Oklahoma (10/12) and finished with 1161.5, ranking fifth
in the A&M career records...Posted the 1,000th dig of her career at Kansas
State on Nov. 5 and finished career with 1,097, ranking 15th in A&M career
records...Came within 14 kills of reaching 1,000 for her career.
2010 - Junior
The team captain had a breakout year and received numerous awards in her first season as a full-time starter...Was named to the All-Big 12 first team and earned Texas A&M's MVP and Best Offensive Player awards after averaging an A&M-best 4.77 points and 4.08 kills per set, which also ranked 25th and 31st in the nation, respectively...Led the Big 12 in aces (.37) per set and ranked second in the league in points, fourth in kills and 15th in digs (2.99) per set for the full season...Twice tied the A&M all-time record for aces in a match with six against Sam Houston State and Pacific...Started every match and played in all 113 sets, posting double figures in kills in 25 of 30 matches...Tallied 20 or more kills in seven matches...Led or tied for the team lead in kills in all but one match and also led the team with 17 double-doubles...In Big 12 matches only, led A&M and ranked fourth in the conference with 4.60 points per set...In addition, her 4.05 kills and 0.24 aces per set led the Aggies and ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Big 12 in conference matches only...Also was second on the team and 14th in the league with 3.21 digs per set in league play.
2009 - Sophomore
Proved to be the most versatile athlete on the squad as she was the only player to see action as a left-side hitter, right-side hitter, libero, defensive specialist and middle blocker...Played in 29 of 31 matches, including 78 of 109 sets, and was voted the team's most inspirational player along with senior Jola Kelner...Started five matches, making her first start of the season and her first-ever start as a middle blocker at Kansas on Oct. 31... Led the team in blocks in four matches...Had the most impressive performance of her career in the first round of the NCAA tournament against No. 19 Arizona...Started on the left side for the first time in her career and responded with a career-high 17 kills...Also had 14 digs to post the first double-double of her career and help lead the Aggies to an impressive 3-1 victory against the favored Wildcats...Finished the season averaging 1.35 kills per set while hitting .221...Also averaged 2.94 digs per set for the full season...Was named to the U.S. Women's National A2 Red Team and captured the bronze medal at the USA Volleyball Open National Championships in May 2010.
2008 - Freshman
Graduated high school early, began training with the Aggies in January and participated in the team's two-week training tour in Europe...Played in every match during her rookie season, starting two as outside hitter and 12 as the designated libero, including each of the last 10 matches of the season...Went on to receive the team's Most Improved Player award, finishing the season with a team-leading 3.0 dig average in Big 12 matches only...Drew the first start of her career against Creighton in the third match of the season...Led the team in digs in five matches and also led the team with four 20-plus dig performances...Her 24 digs in A&M's season-ending victory at Missouri tied for the season-high for most digs in a single match and was the most by an A&M player in a four-set match since Holly Clay had 28 against USC in 2005...Also posted 24 digs in a five-set match at Oklahoma...Reached double figures in digs in nine matches...Was a member of the USA Volleyball Junior National Team that competed at the 2009 FIVB World Championships in Tijuana, Mexico.
Previous Athletic Experience
A two-time PrepVolleyball.com high school All-American, was ranked No. 42 in PrepVolleyball.com's Top 100 Senior Aces...Also received All-American honorable mention on Mizuno/Volleyball's list of 2007 Girls High School All-Americans and was named to Volleyball's "Fab 50" list of the nation's top high school recruits...A three-time all-state selection by the Texas Girls Coaches Association, the 2007 District 2-5A Offensive Player of the Year capped her high school career by being named to the state all-tournament team after leading Amarillo High School to its second consecutive Texas 5A high school state title...The Lady Sandies, who became the first Texas Class 5A team to repeat as state champions in more than 20 years, finished 43-1 and ranked No. 2 in the nation in 2007...Compiled an impressive 129-5 (.963) record in her three seasons as a starter at Amarillo...A PrepVolleyball.com All-American as a junior, Black also was listed on Volleyball's Top 25 Underclassmen to Watch list after directing Amarillo to a 45-1 record and its first of back-to-back state titles in 2006...Led the Lady Sandies in kills and made her second consecutive appearance on the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Class 5A all-state second team and also was a member of the Amarillo Globe-News Volleyball Super Team...Made her first appearance on the all-state team as a sophomore after the Lady Sandies went 41-3 and advanced to the region semifinals...Was recognized as a PrepVolleyball.com Soph 79 and garnered honorable mention on LoneStarVolleyball.com's 2005 All-Texas Team...Following her sophomore campaign, was one of 27 players in the nation to be named to the USAV Girls National High Performance Camp roster and led the USA Youth Red to a silver medal in the international junior division of the USAV HP Championships...Named to the 19-player U.S. Women's Junior National Training Team in 2008...Most memorable moments from prep career are winning the two 5A state championships.
Personal
Kelsey Danae Black is the daughter of Victor and Machelle Black...Has an older brother, Victor, who pitched for Dallas Baptist University and was the 49th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft...Also has a an older sister, Erin, who played volleyball at DBU, and a younger sister, Sarah...Began playing volleyball when she was in the third grade...Committed to A&M during her sophomore year of high school and did not take any official recruiting visits, not even to A&M...Chose A&M because the special traditions and the family atmosphere are unmatched and "when you walk on campus, you can't help but feel at home and at ease with where you are in life"...Most memorable moment of A&M career is defeating No. 19 Arizona to advance in the second round of the 2009 NCAA tournament...Lists dancing as her hobby...A Champs/Texas A&M scholar athlete in 2010-11...Is majoring in university studies...Career ambition is to be a college coach...Born April 27, 1990, in Amarillo, Texas.
Black Up Close
The people who have had the greatest impact on my athletic career: Victor and Machelle BlackThe accomplishment (athletic or non-athletic) that I am most proud of: USA Volleyball experiences: World Championships and Women's A2 team
The person I would most like to meet: George Bush
People have told me that I look like: Ali Fedotowsky (The Bachelorette)
When I was little, I dreamed of being an: Olympic volleyball player
Something I've always wanted to do but haven't: take a mission trip to China
The reality show I would most like to participate in is: I would love to be on Dancing with the Stars!
Few people know that I: am deathly afraid of the dark!
My best non-athletic talent: I can throw and catch a baseball like a champ
My most prized possession: my straightener
My dream job is: to be a high end real estate agent.
Favorite class subject: journalism
Favorite quote: "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say I used everything you gave me."
Favorite volleyball player: Karch Kiraly
Favorite athlete (any sport): Victor Black, my brother
Favorite professional sports team (any sport): Dallas Cowboys
Favorite type of music: country
Favorite food: pork tenderloin and garlic mashed potatoes
Favorite TV show: Say Yes to the Dress
Favorite book: Redeeming Love
Favorite movie: Avatar
Favorite part about the sport of volleyball: constant action
Favorite sport to play other than volleyball: baseball
Favorite thing about A&M: family atmosphere
Favorite Aggie tradition: Muster
Favorite Karaoke song to sing: No Air (Jordan Sparks and Chris Brown)
Favorite piece of advice: Play for Jesus
