Morrison Named UAA MVP; Six Bears Earn All-UAA Honors

St. Louis, Mo., November 11, 2008 – Senior right side Nikki Morrison of the No. 3 Washington University volleyball team was named the 2008 University Athletic Association (UAA) Most Valuable Player, and six Washington University student-athletes earned all-UAA honors, as announced by the association on Tuesday.

Additionally, head coach Rich Luenemann, who is in his 10th season at Washington U., and his assistants Louella Maxwell, Charles Rodman, Brent Ruoff, Paula Urbanek, Geoff Davis and Jim Hunstein were tabbed as the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year, after leading the Red and Green to the 2008 UAA Championship with a 3-2 win over No. 1 Emory University at the WU Field House in St. Louis, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 8. It is the fourth time during his tenure on the Danforth Campus that Luenemann and his staff have been picked as the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.

Morrison is enjoying the best statistical season of her four years at Washington University, as she leads the team in kills (337) and attack percentage (.385). She eclipsed 1,000-career kills on Sept. 12, 2007, and has 1,252 kills in her career, which ranks No. 10 all-time at Washington University. Her 2008 hitting percentage of .385 is a personal best, and her career-hitting percentage of .358 is also tenth in school history. Morrison is the first Bear to earn UAA Most Valuable Player honors since Haleigh Spencer was tabbed as the conference’s top player following the 2006 season.

In 11 UAA matches this season, Morrison hit .380, which ranked fourth in the conference, and notched 116 kills, which placed her seventh among the association leaders. She played a pivotal role in the Bears’ ability to capture the 2008 UAA Championship, tallying a season-high 19 kills in the Red and Green’s 3-1 win over Carnegie Mellon University in the UAA semifinals, and she hit .423 with a team-high 14 kills in the victory over No. 1 Emory in the championship match.

Joining Morrison as first-team all-UAA selections is junior middle hitter Erin Albers, senior outside hitter Alli Alberts and senior setter Audra Janak.

Albers finished the regular season second on the team in kills (288), attack percentage (.355) and in total blocks (88, 28 solo, 60 assists). In UAA matches only Albers hit .403, which ranked third in the conference. She was a second-team all-UAA selection a year ago. Alberts is one of the team leaders offensively and defensively, and is third on the Bears with 287 kills and second with 373 digs. In UAA competition she ranked seventh in digs per set (3.67) and tied for ninth in service aces per set (0.32). She was an honorable mention all-UAA honoree in 2007.

Janak has tallied 1,146 assists this season, raising her career total to 3,382, which places her fifth in Washington University history. For the season she averaged 9.97 assists per set, but she increased her production to 10.33 assists per set in UAA action, ranking No. 2 in the conference. She also has 135 kills and 236 digs this season. Janak was a first-team all-UAA honoree last year, and garnered second-team all-UAA accolades in 2006.

Freshman middle hitter Erin Kasson earned second-team all-UAA honors after a productive first collegiate season. She finished the regular season with a team-high 98 total blocks (22 solo, 76 assists), fourth on the team in kills (212) and third in hitting percentage (.344). Kasson hit .315 in UAA matches, placing her ninth in the conference. She was named UAA Athlete of the Week on Nov. 4.

Junior libero Laura Brazeal is an honorable mention all-UAA selection for the second-consecutive season. She leads the team with 471 digs in 2008 and she is second with 36 service aces. She recorded 0.32 aces per set in UAA action, tying with Alberts for ninth in the conference.

Washington University (30-6, 10-1 UAA) begins its NCAA championship defense as the No. 1 seed in the Great Lakes Regional. The Bears will open postseason play against Frostburg State University on Thursday, Nov. 13, in Springfield, Ohio, at 3:30 p.m. (ET).