EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - UW-Eau Claire volleyball coach Kim Wudi recently announced team awards at the team's year-end banquet. Rachel Ver Voort (Sr.-Madison, Wis./Middleton) and Amanda Lessner (Sr.-Watertown, Wis.) led with two awards each.

The players voted Ver Voort as both the team's most valuable player overall and the MVP on offense. Ver Voort led the team's scoring, recording 398 points en route to the Blugolds' 25-10 season. In addition, Ver Voort tallied 370 digs and a team-high 338 kills. Ver Voort also made the Midwest All-Region team with honorable mention.

Lessner earned the Blugold Award and was also named by the coaching staff as the recipient of the coaches' award. She totaled 1,191 assists in the season and averaged 9.76 each set, good enough for third best in the WIAC.

Blair Murphy (Sr.-Hermantown, Minn.) was named the team's defensive MVP. Murphy made the third most digs in the WIAC with a grand total of 603. This figure was 233 digs more than that of the next highest Blugold. Murphy was also recognized as one of the top players in the region with honorable mention to the Midwest All-Region team.

The team voted Lauren Sutherland (Fr.-Dayton, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian) as the Blugolds' most improved player. Sutherland played in 19 of the Blugolds' 35 games and earned a .269 hitting percentage, the third-highest on the team. In her first campaign with the Blugolds, she averaged .62 kills each set and .59 digs per set.

Laura Slinger (Jr.-Faribault, Minn./Bethlehem Academy) earned recognition as the top newcomer. In her first season with the Blugolds, Slinger tallied the fifth highest hitting percentage in the WIAC with .273. She also contributed 201.5 points to the team's winning season.