Blugold Volleyball Receives Six Player Awards, Coach of the Year Recognition

Posted: Nov 09, 2010

MADISON, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - Four UW-Eau Claire volleyball players and their coach earned season-end recognition from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, sports information director Matt Stanek announced today.

Liz Amici (Jr.-Whitewater, Wis.) and Rachel Ver Voort (Sr.-Madison, Wis./Middleton) were two of just 12 players chosen to the first team of the 2010 All-WIAC team and head coach Kim Wudi was named Coach of the Year.

Amici led all conference players in blocks, recording a total of 142 for an average of 1.2 blocks each set this season. In addition to tallying a 13th-best 288 kills, Amici's .267 hitting percentage was the second highest for Eau Claire and seventh best in the WIAC.

Ver Voort, who received honorable mention in last year's conference awards, racked up 317 kills and averaged 2.71 each set this season for the ninth highest total in the conference. Ver Voort also scored the 10th highest point average in the WIAC, recording an average of 3.19 points per set. Ver Voort's 34 total service aces was also 12th best in the WIAC and led the Eau Claire team.

Two Blugolds, Amanda Lessner (Sr.-Watertown, Wis.) and Blair Murphy (Sr.-Hermantown, Minn.), also earned all-conference honorable mention awards. Murphy was also selected to the All-Defensive team while Lessner was chosen for the All-Sportsmanship team.

Lessner tallied a team-high 1,126 assists and averaged 9.71 per set for the third best ranking in the WIAC. Lessner selection to the All-Sportsmanship team was the result of demonstrating excellent sportsmanship throughout the course of the season.

Murphy tallied 579 digs and averaged 4.79 per set for the fifth best total in the WIAC. Murphy also had the 15th highest average of service aces by totaling 32 in 121 sets. These efforts also earned Murphy recognition as one of four players selected to the All-Defensive team.

Eau Claire head coach Kim Wudi was also honored as WIAC Coach of the Year. This award marks the second time Wudi has received the honor as she was named co-coach of the year after the 2008 season.