Lowe's Senior CLASS Awards CriteriaIn addition to the core requirement that the candidate be a NCAA Division 1 senior, the finalists and eventual winner will beselected based on personal qualities that define a complete student athlete. These areas of excellence are defined underthe categories of Classroom, Character, Community and Competition.

Classroom: academic achievements and successfully progressing in regards to earning a degree

Character: attributes that define the candidate's personal character, including leadership skills, work ethic and integrity

Community: involvement in community and charity activities, utilizing the candidate's status as a college athlete to make animpact in worthwhile causes

Competition: achievements within the athlete's respective sport and their role in the success of the team

Volleyball 2010

Athletes:Sydney AndersonJennifer BerwangerEllie BlankenshipNina CamaioniLaura DeBrulerAllyson DoyleFrancie EkwerekwuNikki FowlerLauren GibbemeyerAmanda GrahamJenna HagglundChristy HudsonJennaRae JesterAlex KellyChelsy KimesAlix KlinemanLauren Krupsky

Tracey LamCarli LloydJamie MelliesJade MichaelsenSabel MoffettStephanie NiemerBecky NovacekLauren RappChloe SmithMary Ashley TippinsDana VargasArielle WilsonLexi Zimmerman

Sydney Anderson (University of Nebraska)ClassroomSydney Anderson is a sociology major and is on track to graduate in May 2011.

CharacterAnderson has been a leader since joining the Nebraska program in August of 2008. She is enteringher second year as team captain as chosen by her teammates. She was forced into a position ofleadership early after transferring into the program. When she arrived, there was no scholarship setteron campus because of a retirement of another player. Anderson's leadership helped Nebraska win 31matches and reach the NCAA semifinals, where the Huskers took unbeaten Penn State to five sets -the only sets the Nittany Lions dropped in 2009 at that point.

CommunityAnderson has been active in the Husker volleyball team's outreach, working youth clinics amongother things. Earlier this summer, Anderson and the rest of the Huskers participated in a clinic for theSpecial Olympics USA National Games.

CompetitionAnderson is one of the best players in the country and is a two-time AVCA All-American. A formermember of the U.S. National Team, Anderson is a two-time first-team All-Big 12 performer sincearriving at Nebraska. Other honors include two NCAA Regional All-Tournament teams, 2009 AVCANational Player of the Week, 2008 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, 2006 AVCA West RegionalFreshman of the Year, and 2006 Mountain West Conference Setter of the Year and Freshman of theYear. She has been selected to the all-tournament team of every regular-season tournamentNebraska has played in over the last two years.

Jennifer Berwanger (Southern Illinois University)ClassroomJennifer Berwanger received her associates of arts in applied sciences (physical therapists assistant),August 8, 2009, while also pursuing her bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation. She will graduatewith her bachelor's degree in December 2010 and has a cumulative GPA of 3.885. She was named2008 All-Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete and 2009 All-MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team(the only unanimous choice on the team). She was also a member of the 2009 ESPN The MagazineAcademic All-District V Second Team and a two-time MVC State Farm Scholar-Athlete of the Week.She's been a member of the Missouri Valley Conference Honor Roll four years and a Saluki Scholarthree times. She has been on the Dean's List 11 semesters.

CharacterBerwanger will be one of the team's captains this year. According to Saluki Head Coach BrendaWinkeler: "She is an outstanding leader. Many leaders are afraid to stand up for what is right, andJennifer is not afraid to stand up for the right actions. She leads by example and not just words. Shehas been instrumental in the development of our younger players. Her dedication is above average.She works hard on being the best she can be in the classroom and on the court. Jennifer is a veryhonest person and strives to also make sure others are honest in their dealings with the staff andplayers."

CommunityDuring the last four years, Berwanger has participaged in the following community service activities atSouthern Illinois University: Trick or Treat for Canned Goods, Santa's Shoebox, Dreamcatchers,Parrish School Penguin Festival, SIU Athletics Halloween Bash and the MVC Just Read Program.

CompetitionBerwanger played in eight matches in her first season (2006) before suffering a knee injury and beinggranted a red-shirt season. She came back from the injury to be a constant in the Saluki startingline-up the next three seasons and a two-time Missouri Valley Conference First Team selection as asophomore (2008) and junior (2009). She was allso named to the MVC All-Freshman team as ared-shirt freshman (2007). The outside hitter became the fourth player in school history to garnerfirst-team All-MVC honors twice, after ranking top 10 in the league in kills, digs and points, recording18 double-doubles last season. As a junior, she played in all 116 sets and started all 30 matches,recording a team-high 3.42 kills and 3.71 digs per set.

Ellie Blankenship (University of Northern Iowa)ClassroomEllie Blankenship was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Honor Roll in 2009 and holds acumulative grade point average of 3.01 while majoring in management: information systems.Blankenship is also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, working as a leader to plan andhost activities while also holding bi-weekly meetings with group leaders to facilitate planning ofactivities. In addition to this, she is also a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)at UNI and serves as a representative for the volleyball team. In conjunction with SAAC, Blankenshipworked on a committee to organize the annual Junior Panther Day hosted for young, aspiring athletesinterested in meeting the Panther athletes. She is also a member of MISA (Management InformationSystems Association), which is a club at UNI for management: information systems majors. The clubworks to bring speakers to campus as well as discuss current issues relating to the major.

CharacterUNI head coach Bobbi Petersen speaks very highly of Blankenship saying, "Ellie has been anexemplary student-athlete at the University of Northern Iowa. In my many years of coaching, I havenot had a more gifted student-athlete who has so much to give her team, her university and hercommunity. Ellie was a walk-on student athlete and because of her gifts as an athlete, she found herway onto the court her freshman year as our starting libero. Her talents and her extreme desire andpassion to compete have made her one of the best liberos in the country. She not only gets it doneon the court, but she is a tremendous student in an extremely competitive business program at UNI. Ellie is an incredible leader shown by the fact she has gained the respect of her teammates andcoaches by being named a team captain for two consecutive years. Ellie is heavily involved in thecommunity and has also done various world-wide projects. I feel extremely fortunate to not onlycoach a student-athlete like Ellie, but to also have such a special person and example a part of mylife."

CommunityBlankenship is active in her local community, volunteering at the humane society, Lutheran home,Relay for Life, and the local food bank on a regular basis. During the floods of 2008, she helpedsandbag in the city of Cedar Falls in an effort to protect area homes and business from rising floodwaters. Later, Blankenship helped beautify the city of Cedar Falls by helping plant trees as a part ofthe plan to restore the damages done during the flooding and destructive storms. She also helped atthe local hospital appreciation breakfast as well as volunteering at the Little Panther Club outings.Finally, Blankenship has participated in the NCAA's Just Read! Program, visiting local elementaryschools to emphasize the importance of reading. Blankenship has displayed her tremendous character in a number of ways, showing her deep carefor others by traveling with her church, Prairie Lakes, to the village of Kwambekenya, Kenya, to helpthe village members with everyday activities and a few bigger projects over spring break. Also,through Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, she adopted a little girl - along with the rest of the UNIvolleyball team - who is currently battling a brain tumor. Blankenship and the rest of the teamcontinually visit and take her to various activities throughout the year, including sending her weeklygifts as she battles through her fight with cancer.

CompetitionBlankenship was selected as one of 24 collegiate athletes by USA Volleyball to participate in the U.S.Women's National A2 program, later helping her team take bronze at the USA Volleyball OpenChampionships. In 2009, she earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Americahonorable mention honors. Blankenship currently owns the Missouri Valley Conference record forcareer digs and individual digs in a season. She also holds the UNI record for career digs, digs perset in a career and digs per set in a season. Blankenship was named MVC Defensive Player of theWeek three times during her junior season and twice during her sophomore campaign and once sofar during the 2010 season. She has posted double-digit digs in 100 of the 101 matches playedentering her senior season. In 2009, Blankenship re-set the record for digs in a season with 698 whileaveraging 5.82 digs per set. She led the Valley in digs while also ranking fourth in service aces (38).Blankenship earned all-conference honors in each of her seasons with the Panthers, being named tothe MVC All-Freshman team her first season, second-team All-MVC her sophomore campaign andMVC first-team as well as MVC all-tournament team her junior season.

Nina Camaioni (Loyola University (Maryland))ClassroomNina Camaioni is an exemplary student at Loyola and will graduate in May 2011 with a degree inglobal studies, an interdisciplinary field that encompasses history, economics, sociology and politicalscience. She also has a minor in Catholic studies and enters her senior year with a 3.834 grade pointaverage. Camaioni is a two-time MAAC All-Academic honoree, and she earned CoSIDA/EPSN TheMagazine Academic All-District II Second Team honors as a junior in 2009. She has been a memberof Loyola's Dean's List all six semesters she has been at the school.

CharacterCamaioni is one of the most selfless and giving students at Loyola. She is as well known for herdedication to community outreach and service as for her success on the volleyball court. She earnedLoyola's Cura Personalis Award in 2008, recognizing one person on campus who uses his or herparticular gifts and insights to address the needs of others and foster understanding for their uniquecircumstances. This award is drawn from the 3,600-plus student body and all faculty and staff. Shehas an unique you-first attitude, always making sure that others are taken care of before herself,however, she is extremely focused at succeeding academically and athletically. Camaioni is one ofthe most positive and uplifting players on the team and was unanimously named team captain for2010.

CommunityCamaioni has vested her time and interests fully to the Loyola campus. She is a coordinator andleader of the campus prayer group that meets once a week. She is also a member of the TheologyClub, Loyola Alive and Campus Ministry. She has volunteered monthly at Beans & Bread, a soupkitchen in Baltimore that serves the area's underprivileged. She also has participated in Relay for Lifeat Loyola and was an organizer of activities at the school's National Women In Sports Day. Whilestudying abroad in Rome during the spring of 2010, Camaioni did not stop her community service,volunteering weekly at Caritas Diocesan Soup Kitchen.

CompetitionCamaioni will conclude her Loyola volleyball career as one of the best players in school history, if notthe best. The 2010 Preseason Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year enters hersenior season with 1,328 career kills, just 301 away from tying the school record. As a junior in 2009,Camaioni became the first Loyola player to ever record more than 500 kills in a season. She was 13thin NCAA Division I in kills per set (4.49) and 25th in points per set (4.84), setting the schoolsingle-season record with 539 kills. She is a two-time All-MAAC honoree and was the 2007 MAACRookie of the Year.

Laura DeBruler (University of Illinois)ClassroomLaura DeBruler is a senior majoring in psychology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Shecurrently has a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and is expected to graduate in May 2011. DeBruler plans to pursue a career in coaching volleyball at the collegiate level following graduation.

CharacterDeBruler is a role model for the younger players on the team and for young women in the community.She has been a leader on the team since she arrived on campus mostly because of her tireless workethic and love of the game. Recently she has developed in to a vocal and inspirational leader as shehas matured as a student-athlete and person. She is a tremendous teammate and completelyunselfish as a player as well as unselfish with her time. She has also been a leader in communityservice and is out several times a month in the community doing service for a variety of charities.

CommunityDeBruler has been actively involved in the Illini's Hometown Heroes community service programduring her career. She has volunteered extensively at the volleyball team's adopted school,Westview Elementary School in Champaign, visiting with kids in the cafeteria, reading to classes,participating in an all school pep rally, family carnival, and their annual Walk to School event.DeBruler has also mentored junior high school students, participated in the holiday party Illinistudent-athletes host each year for kids on the waiting list of Big Brothers Big Sisters, as well asmaking other visits to local schools and the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival.

CompetitionDeBruler was named a first-team All-American in 2009 after being named a second-teamAll-American in 2008. She is an Academic All-Big Ten selection and was named to fourAll-Tournament teams in 2009, being named MVP of two of them. The Illini were ranked as high asNo. 5 in the nation, finishing at No. 10 after a second straight trip to the Sweet 16. She is on pace tobreak Illinois' career kills record and holds the record for most 20-kill matches in school history (34).

Allyson Doyle (Western Michigan University)ClassroomAllyson Doyle enters her senior season at Western Michigan having never received a grade lowerthan an A to sport a 4.0 GPA majoring in speech pathology and audiology. A two-time AcademicAll-MAC honoree, Doyle was an ESPN the Magazine First Team Academic All-District selection as ajunior. Doyle is looking to finish her degree and immediately begin work on her master's inspeech-language pathology right away with the end goal to work with children, possibly as a schoolspeech teacher.

CharacterDoyle is entering her second year as team captain and is the only senior on the roster, in charge ofhelping mentor a team that features 8-of-11 players as underclassmen. Doyle is also the onlyreturning outside hitter as the other three players at that position are true freshman. Doyle was namedas a co-captain as a junior, even with four senior starters and two returning senior captains. Doylehas embraced the increased leadership responsibility, both on and off the court. She has earned theWMU Volleyball Leadership Award in both 2008 and 2009.

CommunityDoyle is frequently in the front of the Broncos volleyball program's efforts in the Kalamazoocommunity and earned WMU's Gayl Werme Excellence in Community Service Award last season.Doyle has been a volunteer for the Girls on the Run 5K and at the Special Days Camp for childrenwith cancer and their siblings. She's also worked with the Kalamazoo Deacon's Conference, which isa Christian ministry that helps those in need in the Kalamazoo area. She helps organize trips toBronson Children's Hospital, while volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club and Big Brothers, BigSisters. Doyle is also a frequent guest at several area elementary schools to read to kids andencourage physical education through volleyball.

CompetitionDoyle has been a three-year starter in every match for the Broncos. Doyle emerged as a junior andwas named WMU's Most Valuable Player after earning First Team All-MAC accolades after compiling325 kills, 459 digs, 100 blocks and .281 attack percentage (all single-season career highs). She has914 career kills as she closes in on becoming only the 18th player in school history to reach 1,000.Doyle is also sixth in career digs at WMU with 1,217 and ninth in career block assists with 266.Doyle's arrival at WMU corresponded with the Broncos winning three consecutive MAC Westchampionships, including the overall MAC championship and NCAA Tournament Sweet 16appearance in 2008. The Broncos are 73-30 with Doyle in the lineup and 39-9 in conference matches.

Francie Ekwerekwu (University of Oklahoma)ClassroomFrancie Ekwerekwu recently graduated with a 3.74 cumulative grade point average and earned abachelor of arts degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. She is currently enrolledin the human relations master's program at OU and has a 4.0 GPA. After graduating in May 2011,she plans to attend law school. Ekwerekwu is a three-time member of the Academic All-Big 12 team.She is a Ronald E. McNair Research Scholar. The Ronald E. McNair Post BaccalaureateAchievement Program prepares first generation, low income and under-represented undergraduatejuniors and seniors for graduate education through preparatory workshops, seminars, lectures andexposure to a research experience under the guidance of a faculty mentor. In July Ekwerekwu wasselected as one of five national recipients of the John McLendon Postgraduate Scholarship by theNational Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

CharacterEkwerekwu is described by her coaches as a very caring and humble person and a hard worker. Atotal team player, she is very goal oriented and dedicated to the success of her team. Also a greatleader, Ekwerekwu was selected by her teammates to be the team's captain for the upcomingseason. Even without the designation in previous seasons, she has led by example and is a keymotivator for the team's success. Without being asked, she spear-headed the team's efforts in 2009to honor their head coach's son, Javi, who passed away from leukemia just two weeks before thestart of practice. She is a giver who participates in activities not only through the OU student life officebut on her own, as well. She's the true meaning of a student-athlete and one the University ofOklahoma is extremely proud of.

CommunityEkwerekwu is a Big Sister with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization in Norman and president ofthe University of Oklahoma Bridge Builders program. She is also a member of the Fellowship ofAthletes leadership team and was a volunteer for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Children'sRun. On campus, Ekwerekwu helped organize a Black History Month Poetry Night and AfricanAmerican History Art Show at OU and is a member of The Impact Movement, a student Bible studyand outreach group. She also is a member of the Black Student Association. She has also providedChristmas gifts and mentoring for youth in delinquent centers in the Oklahoma City metro area andserves as a volunteer at KinderCare Child Daycare Center in Norman. Ekwerekwu has spent timeworking with underprivileged children and youth in the metro area through Family Development andIntervention Services of Oklahoma City. Ekwerekwu has volunteered her time with the SpecialOlympics in Norman, Toys for Tots, Christmas Angel Tree and at several food banks, homelessshelters and day care centers not previously mentioned. She has served as a referee for a homeschool volleyball league in Norman and attended the 2009 NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando.

CompetitionEkwerekwu was named an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection as a junior and earnedAll-Freshman team honors in 2007. This past season she was named Most Valuable Player of theUT-Arlington Invitational. In three seasons, Ekwerekwu has been a consistent starter at middleblocker for the Sooners. She has helped lead the team to the NCAA Championship twice (2009,

2007). As a junior, she started every match at middle blocker and ranked second on the team in kills(276). Ekwerekwu averaged 2.68 per set on the year and hit .285 in all matches. She had 11 serviceaces and was second in blocks with 93 on the year, a 0.90 average. In conference play, she had 194kills in conference play, a 2.69 average and hit a team-best .281 in those contests. Ekwerekwu ledthe team with 68 blocks in league matches, a 0.94 per set average.

Nikki Fowler (University of Tennessee)ClassroomA business major, Nikki Fowler currently possesses a sparkling 3.79 GPA through her first threeyears at Rocky Top. She has twice been named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA AcademicAll-District IV Team and is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. She is the onlyLady Vol volleyball player to ever earn academic all-district honors twice and will look to add a thirdaward to her name this year. Following graduation, Fowler plans to attend graduate school and workwith a music promotion company.

CharacterA quiet but determined leader, Fowler has been the steadying hand that has led the Lady Vols toback-to-back 20-win seasons and consecutive NCAA Tournament berths. The Dallas, Texas, nativewas a finalist in 2009 for the Miss Tennessee Award at UT's annual VOLSCARS banquet. This awardis given to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the spirit of Tennessee, based on academics,athletics, team leadership and service. Fowler also serves as the representative from the volleyballteam on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

CommunityDespite all the hours dedicated to volleyball and academics, Fowler always makes time to give backto the Knoxville community. She has participated in numerous charitable activities, including assistingwith free volleyball clinics for children, reading to preschool children, Teams for Toys, April Play Day,Habitat for Humanity, Saving Little Hearts miniature golf fundraiser and visiting sick children at EastTennessee Children's Hospital. She has also helped to host a holiday dinner where she helpedprovide food and clothing for the homeless.

CompetitionA three-year starter for UT, Fowler has been named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American andAll-SEC First Team member in each of the past two seasons. This past summer, she spent timetraining and playing with the U.S. Women's National A2 Team, winning a gold medal with the Bluesquad at the USA Volleyball Open National Championships. A "do-it-all" player, Fowler currentlyranks 12th on the Lady Vols' all-time career kills list, second in attacks per set, sixth in kills per set,seventh in digs per set and sixth in total attacks.

Lauren Gibbemeyer (University of Minnesota)ClassroomLauren Gibbemeyer currently holds a 3.424 GPA. She is a three-time Minnesota Scholar-Athlete anda two-time Big Ten All-Academic honoree. She earned a 4.0 GPA in the spring of 2010 and made theDean's List that semester as well. Gibbemeyer is a kinesiology major looking at possibly working withyouth and teaching them about health and fitness.

CharacterGibbemeyer was named team captain in her junior (2009) and senior seasons (2010, upcoming).On-the-court obstacles last season came when Minnesota had to integrate eight new teammates intothe program, along with having a starting teammate and friend leave midway through the season andmaking sure everyone came together and remained focused on team goals, and having to play withinjuries (stress fractures in shins, shoulder issues). She has been inspired by her youngest sister towant to help kids struggling with weight and obesity, and would like to work on finding a prevention tochildhood obesity. She is involved in a Vikings grant this fall where she will be assigned a childstruggling with obesity, and work with the child and their family throughout the semester and will helpeducate them on health and fitness. She wants to be a positive role model for kids, especially foryoung girls. She also stays connected with her high school alma mater Cretin Derham Hall where shevolunteer in the weight room in the summer to help stress the importance of staying fit to the incomingfreshmen and promote working out safely.

CommunityGibbemeyer has helped out at the Minnesota Girls and Women in Sports Youth Clinic in February2010. She volunteered at the University of Minnesota Child Care Center, represented the Universityof Minnesota volleyball team at the Grand Old Days Parade and also participated in the Hope DayFestival last September.

CompetitionGibbemeyer was a first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten performer in 2009. She also wasnamed to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament on the way to the Golden Gophers' third Final Fourappearance. She was also named first-team All-Big Ten in 2008 and was named to the All-Freshmanteam in 2007. She broke the school record for total blocks and block assists in 2009, and is currentlysecond in career hitting percentage, third in block assists and fifth in total blocks on the career list.She was one of only two players in the nation to be in the top 15 in hitting percentage and blocks in2009.

Amanda Graham (Robert Morris University)ClassroomAmanda Graham carries a 3.98 cumulative GPA into her senior year. She was named to the ESPNThe Magazine District II Academic All-America First Team last year. The nuclear medicine technologymajor has made the Dean's list every semester and was named the 2009 Northeast ConferenceVolleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Graham has been named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll allthree years and was named to the NEC Commissioner's Honor Roll in its inaugural season last year.Graham spent time this summer studying for the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT), whichshe is scheduled to take as she prepares to apply to pharmacy school.

CharacterGraham has displayed remarkable character at Robert Morris through her toughness, resiliency andleadership. She tore her meniscus during her freshman season, but she did not miss a single match.After undergoing offseason surgery, Graham took the court for her sophomore season with a kneethat was heavily swollen. She started every match despite still working through post-surgery physicaltherapy and rehabilitation during the entire season. Graham was named a captain her junior year, butshe broke her finger in the fifth match of the season. After missing nine matches, Graham had threepins inserted into her hand and returned to the court with her finger still broken. She was forced toplay with a hand that was heavily wrapped, making it much more challenging to compete at heraccustomed level, but she was still able to maintain her impressive statistical performances. Duringthe recent offseason, the Colonials went through a coaching change, leading to increasedresponsibility for Graham as a team representative in her role as captain. She said by going throughthat process she has learned how to incorporate more teammates as part of her leadership role bystressing strong communication between individuals, which Graham believes has the Colonials moreprepared entering the 2010 season. Graham will once again serve as a team captain this season.

CommunityGraham has volunteered her time at Holy Family Institute, a social service agency in Pittsburgh. HolyFamily is a residential care program that serves children who have been removed from their homesdue to abuse, neglect or other circumstances. Graham has visited the institute and organizedactivities and games for the children.

CompetitionGraham has been a dominant force for the Colonials since stepping on the court her freshmanseason when she led the Northeast Conference in hitting percentage (.344) in 2007. She finishedsixth in the NEC in kills per game with 3.41, while also leading Robert Morris in all blocking categoriesin her rookie year. Graham was named All-NEC First Team and was subsequently named to the NECAll-Tournament Team after recording 35 kills and 10 blocks in the conference postseason. Grahampicked up where she left off during her sophomore season as she finished second in the league inhitting (.312) and tied for second in aces per game (.42). Graham once again led RMU in all blockingcategories, including breaking the single-season school record for block assists (84). She led herteam to the 2008 NEC Regular Season Championship as the Colonials went undefeated in leagueplay, and Graham was again recognized by receiving All-NEC Second Team honors. She continuedto post strong numbers despite missing nine matches due to injury in her junior season. Graham

finished second in the NEC in hitting (.332) and fourth in blocks per game (1.14), while tying her ownschool record for block assists. She helped Robert Morris qualify for its 11th consecutive NECTournament, the longest current streak in the conference, and was named All-NEC First Team again.

Jenna Hagglund (University of Washington)ClassroomJenna Hagglund is a two-time honoree on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII team,earning first-team honors in 2008 and second-team honors in 2009. A Pac-10 All-Academic secondteam selection in 2008 and honorable mention in 2009, Hagglund currently owns a 3.53 cumulativegrade point average.

Character"Jenna makes progress every day and the great ones know they have to make progress in everyfacet on and off the court. She has made significant changes in her game which is a sign of maturity,and will see her greatest return as a player and leader this year." - Head Coach Jim McLaughlin "When Jenna talks, her peers listen as she is a thoughtful, committed leader. A self-motivated,enthusiastic leader, Jenna is able to motivate others toward a common goal, whether it be on thevolleyball court or while working on a community service endeavor. She is dependable and followsthrough on all commitments. Jenna demonstrates character, integrity and sportsmanship in herinteractions with coaches, student-athletes, and members of the community." - Kim Durand, Assoc.AD for Student Development

CommunityHagglund has done volunteer work at Seattle Children's Hospital as well as the Ronald McDonaldHouse. She was a team captain in 2009 and the team's representative to the WashingtonStudent-Athlete Advisory Committee (WSAAC) for two years, a post selected by her teammates.

CompetitionA two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American, earning third-team honorsin 2008 and 2009, Hagglund was the only setter on the 2009 All-Pac-10 team as a junior and wasAll-Pac-10 honorable mention in 2008, and a Pac-10 All-Freshman Team pick in 2007. She hasmoved up to second place on UW's career assists chart with 3,996. In 2009, she ran the Washingtonoffense that led the Pac-10 in attack percentage at .288. Last season, she ranked 19th nationally with11.30 assists per set after ranking second in the NCAA as a sophomore with 12.17. The Huskieshave been Pac-10 runners-up each of her first three seasons. She needs less than 600 assists tomove into the Pac-10 career top 10.

Christy Hudson (TCU)ClassroomChristy Hudson is a three-time academic all-conference member and has earned scholar athletehonors each of the last three seasons. She has been a member of TCU's Dean's List on numerousoccasions and currently holds a GPA of 3.55 in a challenging kinesiology program.

CharacterHudson has been a major contributor to the TCU volleyball program since stepping onto campus herfreshman year. Going into her senior year Christy has contributed to three consecutive 20-winseasons. As a junior, she also helped the team to its first ever postseason appearance, participatingin the NCAA Tournament. Experiencing success like that is no accident and Christy works hard everyday to push herself and others to become the best player they can be. She also shows tremendouswork ethic in her academics and she epitomizes what it means to be a student-athlete with her abilityto balance the challenging schedule of Division I athletics and the course load at a demandingacademic institution.

CommunityHudson is one of the leaders in TCU's community service efforts. In her time at TCU, she hasparticipated in two blood drives for Carter BloodCare, three Reading Frog events and helped out withbuilding a house for Habitat for Humanity. On her own, Hudson has once been a team captain for theAmerican Cancer Society's Relay for Life. She and a friend donated more than $500 in an event thatcalled for a 24-hour walk. In total, she has taken part in four relays. Along with some of herteammates, over the holidays, she helped coordinate a cookie bake and then went around to variousretirement homes sharing their cookies and visiting with the residents. During the winter holidays, shehas often volunteered with the LA County District Attorney's office taking gift baskets to victims ofviolent crimes. She also helps coach volleyball at various camps and clubs wherever she may be andvolunteers 20 hours a week during the summer at the Ben Hogan Center Sports Therapy Institute.

CompetitionHudson is a two-time all-conference performer. She is one of just three Frogs to earn multipleall-conference honors. In 2009, Hudson earned AVCA Honorable Mention All-American honors andwas also named to the AVCA All-West Region team. Hudson has been on two all-tournament teamsin her time at TCU and also earned MWC Player of the Week as a junior. She ranks third in schoolhistory with a career attack percentage of .318. She has appeared in 95 matches over the course ofthe last three seasons and helped guide TCU to three straight 20-win season. She averages 2.25 killsper set and 1.24 digs per set.

JennaRae Jester (University of Wyoming)ClassroomJennaRae Jester is a two-time Academic All-Mountain West Conference and MWC Scholar Athleteselection as a business administration major. She is also pursuing a minor in finance and Spanish. Afive-time member of the University of Wyoming President's list, she earned ESPN The MagazineSecond Team Academic All-District VII honors in 2009. With a 3.971 GPA, she is on track to graduatein December of 2010. Her plans are to begin graduate school in 2011 and she would like to pursue acareer as a financial advisor or possibly coaching.

Character"In 15 years as a head coach I have never met another athlete that has exceeded my expectationmore than Jenna Rae Jester," said Wyoming head coach Carrie Yerty. A fierce competitor, a loyalteammate and friend, Jester lives her life with unquestionable morals and ethics. She has activelyhelped raise and mentor her younger sister while working, attending school and competing at theDivision I level. In addition, she has served as a mentor and a team captain for the volleyball teamhere at the University of Wyoming. One of the most remarkable selfless things that Jester has doneas a team captain was to give up her full athletic scholarship so that one of her teammates that wouldbe entering into her senior year could have it. When asked why she would be willing to do that herresponse was "We need her and without this scholarship she may have to quit and work full time. Thesuccess of this team is much more important to me than this scholarship."

CommunityJester has been highly involved in the community through both the volleyball team and the WyomingStudent Athlete Advisory Committee. During her career, the women's volleyball team has participatedin the Adopt-a-Family, raising and donating money to a fund all-year round, then giving necessitiesand gifts to a family in need in Laramie. They also helped with the Toys for Tots drive during a footballgame, and a Christmas Carnival was set up with some of those gifts for underprivileged kids in thecommunity. She helped organize and donated blood for the UW Blood Drive, which is a contestbetween all of the Mountain West Conference Schools. She also participated in the "Adopt a HighwayClean Up Program", Dr. Seuss Read Across America, a canned food drive for one of the localelementary schools, and lunch at Linford Elementary, which entailed spending time with a group ofschool kids. She was the vice president for SAAC during the 2009-10 season and helped the Cowgirlvolleyball team come away with the S.A.D.D.L.E. Cup (Student Athletes Dedicated to theDevelopment of Leadership and Engagement). It recognizes the student-athletes' effort in academicand athletic commitment, personal and career development and service to community. In addition tothat, she has also served as a Huddle Leader for Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

CompetitionOne of six returning starters for the Cowgirls this season, Jester is a two-time team captain. She wentfrom a walk-on who played in five matches in her first season to a two-year starter for the squad. Sheoriginally came to Wyoming on a full academic scholarship and was offered a full athletic scholarshipafter her first semester. In 2009, she led the team in blocks (1.11 bps) and hitting percentage (.271,232-88-531). She also tallied 232 kills (2.00 kps) and had 32 service aces. She finished with a careerhigh 10 total blocks against Utah and BYU, while being named to the All-Tournament Teams at the

Fiesta Bowl Classic and Holly Young Invitational. She has recorded double-figures in kills 15 timesduring her career. She needs 90 kills to reach 500 for her career and could move into the top 10all-time in hitting percentage in school history.

Alex Kelly (Lipscomb University)ClassroomAlex Kelly has a 3.86 GPA in marketing. She is the type of student that puts forth the extra effort toget to know the professors and get a better understanding of their teaching styles and big-pictureobjectives for the semester. She is also the type of student that continues to push herself to betterherself in the classroom. Kelly can be seen constantly working ahead to allow herself plenty of timefor revisions and corrections. The energy with which she approaches her academics is refreshing tosee as one never needs to check up on her to see if she is completing her work. A true go-getter,Kelly has grown to understand that while she might be great in a particular subject, effort anddetermination can make up for a lot.

CharacterAs a fierce competitor Kelly has grown a lot over the past three years. Her freshmen and sophomoreyears were filled with adapting to a demanding load and the dynamics of collegiate athletics. Leadership is an area that she has and continues to put a great deal of effort into as she has come torealize that just playing well is half the battle. There is never a question as who will work the hardestin practice or games as Kelly always puts it on the lines. Over her time here at Lipscomb, she hasbecome a well liked individual throughout campus. As one of the leaders and captains, Kellycontinues to broaden her horizons when it comes to getting to know people throughout campus. Atthe end of the day she is someone who can be counted on to carry a large load in whatever shechooses to pursue. After winning the Atlantic Sun championship and accepting her medal for beingnamed to the All-Tournament first team, Kelly pulled one of her teammates to the side and presentedher medal to her and explained "you deserve this more than I do and without you we would havenever won this championship."

CommunityWhether it be mission trips to southern Kentucky to help storm-ravaged towns or her work with theteam in hosting an under privileged children's group called Youth Encouragement Services to hermost recent outreach this past spring as she coached for a local volleyball club in her first stint on theother side of the clipboard, Kelly is service-oriented. This summer, she travelled to California to be anintern with The Volleyball Network. Being a long way from home and not knowing many people, shewas responsible for adding new content to the company's website and weekly radio broadcast.

CompetitionKelly's stats speak for her heart and determination. Not many middle blockers at the NCAA Division Ilevel are a more complete player than Kelly. A six-rotation player for the past two seasons, it is nowonder why she is the two-time and reigning Atlantic Sun Player of the Year. One of the stats thatstands out the most from this past season is her defensive digs. While only playing three rotations inthe back row, Kelly was second on the team in digs and almost equaled the starting libero's dig totals.Kelly has been an integral force and one of the main reasons this program has seen such a storiedclimb up the rankings over the past three seasons.

Chelsy Kimes (Coastal Carolina University)ClassroomChelsy Kimes earned Dean's List honors five times and was on the President's List once. The biologymajor was awarded an out of state admissions scholarship based on her high ACT scoring and highGPA maintenance. She has a 3.84 cumulative GPA and serves as an academic tutor to other Coastalstudents in upper-level science courses.

CharacterKimes has been a leader on the team throughout her time at Coastal. She has had her share ofinjuries, suffering three third-degree ankle sprains in two years and partially tearing her labrum in hershoulder her sophomore year but still managed to come back strong and lead the team in severalstatistical categories and earn Big South Tournament MVP. She is a student-Athlete AdvisoryCommittee representative for the volleyball team and Coastal where she participated in serviceexperiences around the Myrtle Beach community and served as a participant in NCAA Title IX issuesfor three consecutive years.

CommunityKimes volunteered at the Horry County Animal Shelter, baked cookies and wrote cards for a localhospice, visited local elementary schools to read to classes, participated in Shelters for Haiti, talked tolocal middle and high school students about transitional stages in life, helped with free volleyballclinics, and participated in Shoes for Haiti where Coastal collected more than 2,000 shoes to send.

CompetitionKimes is known as one of the Big South's most lethal attackers. She was a member of the 2008 BigSouth regular-season co-champions and a member of the 2009 Big South Championship team thatearned its first automatic NCAA appearance since 1998. She ranks 4th in career kills in CoastalCarolina history and second in career kills per set at 3.74. She ranks 4th in the Big South in seasonkills per set and was recently named the 2010 Preseason Big South Player of the Year. She is atwo-time first-team All-Big South member her sophomore and junior years. She was named the 2009Big South Tournament MVP and was selected to the All-Freshman Team her freshman year. Kimesled the team in kills in both her sophomore and junior years. She led the squad with 38 aces twoyears in a row.

Alix Klineman (Stanford University)ClassroomAlix Klineman is majoring in art with a minor in political science. She has a cumulative grade pointaverage of 3.53 and is interested in pursuing a career in photography. Her academic achievementsinclude: 2009 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Second Team Academic All-American, 2009 First TeamAll-District VIII, 2008 and 2009 Pac-10 All-Academic Honorable Mention.

CharacterKlineman has been a model student-athlete at Stanford. She has been a leader on the court forStanford since her freshman season. After an injury and a surgery following her sophomore year, shefound a way to adjust her game and still be just as productive as a junior, even though she was notplaying at full strength. The following are comments on Klineman's character from her head coach: "Ithink Alix is one of those people that you really appreciate here at Stanford because I think that sheshows a lot of balance. She could have come here just being a volleyball player because she was sohighly touted, but she's done well in the classroom and on the court. It just seems she has a lot ofbalance in her life and I think that is very important. I think she is also someone who really caresabout the team. She has good values and knows the way to enjoy this experience is through herteammates." - Stanford head coach John Dunning

CommunityKlineman has been very involved with mentoring and guiding young girls whether at camps, with thenational team or on a volunteer basis. The following is a list of some of the camps and othercommunity service items she has been involved with: worked Super Spikers Volleyball Camp atStanford for three years (and will coach it again this year); worked Stanford Volleyball SummerCamps; coached John Featherstone's Beach Volleyball Camp in Manhattan Beach, Calif.; coachedthe Mira Costa High School Volleyball Camp for four years; worked with the Bay Area Women'sSports Initiative (BAWSI) being a featured speaker on a panel and mentoring young girls; worked theYouth Olympics at Stanford for three years, and while on the national team, spoke with and mentoredyoung players.

CompetitionAs a junior in 2009, Klineman was a second-team AVCA & Volleyball Magazine All-American;All-Pacific Region selection; All-Pac-10 Conference; Pac-10 Player of the Week (10/5); AVCANational Player of the Week (10/5) and Stanford Regional All-Tournament Team. Klineman was afirst-team AVCA All-American as a sophomore, All-Pac-10 first team and a member of the NCAAWomen's Volleyball Final Four all-tournament team. She was also a Final Four all-tournament teammember as a freshman and Volleyball Magazine's national freshman of the year. She ranks in the top10 in the six statistical categories at Stanford, including career and single-season kills per set.

Lauren Krupsky (Central Michigan University)ClassroomLauren Krupsky is a biology major with a 3.67 grade-point average with aspirations of becoming aveterinarian. She earned Academic All-MAC honors in 2009, is a four-time Dean's list member (3.50or better) in addition to a one-time President's list member.

CharacterKrupsky is one of only two players to serve as a four-year captain under seventh-year head coachErik Olson, despite having to wait her turn behind one of the program's all-time kills leaders her firsttwo seasons. Despite her ability to play right away, illustrated by earning Freshman All-MAC honors,she elected to wait her turn rather than transfer out as so many choose to do. Her statistics haveimproved each of her three seasons, culminating with her first full-time season as a junior, acampaign that saw her earn first-team All-MAC honors. She is the vocal and emotional leader of aprogram that has rebuilt itself to a yearly MAC contender, posting a 58-34 record during her careerand three-straight second-place finishes in the MAC West Division. Krupsky has also served as arepresentative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee each of the past two years.

CommunityKrupsky is one of the leaders of the team's effort in the community. The team generally finds someway to give back at least once a month throughout her career. Within the past year, the squadparticipated in Dig Pink, volunteered at the Michigan Special Olympics, participated in two cannedfood drives, visited local elementary and middle schools, and planned and executed a Rotary benefitdinner.

CompetitionKrupsky earned 2009 first-team All-MAC honors and 2007 MAC All-Freshman honors and is just 128kills shy of becoming the 13th player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills. She ranked fifth inthe MAC in kills per set in 2009 (3.75), second in aces (0.39) and fifth in points (4.32). She ranked54th in the nation in aces, 73rd in points per set and 85th in kills per set.

Tracey Lam (Rice University)ClassroomTracey Lam maintains a 3.75 GPA in economics and Asian studies. She is a two-time Rice UniversityPresident's Honor roll member, a three-time Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll selectionand a member of the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2nd Team (2008 and 2009).

CharacterLam is the 2010 Joyce Pounds Hardy winner (Rice version of Lowe's Senior CLASS award).According to head coach Genny Volpe, Lam is one of the most humble, yet talented people. She isbright, talented, a great leader by example and most of all she has a great heart. She cares aboutpeople and thinks of others before herself.

CommunityAs a department tutorial leader for the Rice University Japanese Department, Lam leads first- andsecond-year language students in directed conversations to reinforce correct grammar and diversevocabulary and develop familiarity and comfort in speaking the language and employs differentmediums to strengthen listening, reading, and cultural comprehension. As a Rice Peer AcademicAdvisor, she advises students on such academic matters as class scheduling, graduationrequirements, faculty recommendations, independent study, research and work and study abroad,and acts as a liaison between the Rice volleyball team and the Office of Academic Advising. As thecommittee head for the Rice Athletics Awards Banquet Printing Committee, she collaborated with thesports information department to design and distribute invitations and event programs, and organizedan RSVP system that included print and website responses to keep an accurate headcount. As avolunteer with the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies as an ESL conversation partner, Lamspeaks to ESL students in English and when they need it, in their home tongue. Lam is a member ofthe Chinese Students Association and is active within her dorm, helping coordinate events forfaculty/staff.

CompetitionIn 2009, Lam ranked ninth in the NCAA in digs per set (5.50). She was an AVCA All-AmericaHonorable Mention and was on the AVCA All-Midwest Region team. She is a two-time ConferenceUSA libero of the year (2008 and 2009), an All-Conference USA First Team member (2009) andsecond-team selection (2008) and a member of the Conference USA Championship All-TournamentTeam (2009). Her Rice career record 1,701 digs ranks seventh in C-USA history.

Carli Lloyd (University of California, Berkeley)ClassroomCarli Lloyd is a two-time Pac-10 academic honorable mention team member. She earned the highestGPA on the team in 2008 and 2009. Majoring in social welfare with a minor in education, Lloyd has aGPA of 3.53 and is set to graduate in May 2011. She has an interest in psychology and education.

CharacterLloyd served as the team captain as a junior and believes that teamwork is extremely important in thegame of volleyball and that there has to be good chemistry for teams to succeed. She goes hard inpractice and is extremely competitive.

CommunityLloyd loves kids and would like to become a family counselor or therapist, or a marriage counselor.She enjoys working with and helping people. She works with underprivileged youth as an after-schooltutor. She enjoys being an active, good/positive role model and believes role models can determinewhether or not kids work hard to achieve goals and make things happen in their lives.

CompetitionLloyd is a two-time AVCA All-American. She was a member of the 2008 Pac-10 All-Conference Teamand is a two-time AVCA All-Pacific Region selection. She was a member of the NCAA RegionalTournament team and has numerous other all-tournament team selections. She holds thesingle-season and career assist records at Cal.

Jamie Mellies (Seattle University)ClassroomJamie Mellies has a cumulative 3.921 grade point average while majoring in civil engineering andminoring in mathematics. Out of nine quarters, she has achieved a 4.0 GPA in four of them and madethe President's List (3.9+ GPA) in seven of the nine. Mellies made the Dean's List in the other twoquarters. She was an academic All-Independent in 2009, posting the highest GPA among allhonorees.

CharacterMellies has battled through a health condition during her time on campus that causes her to beanemic and unable to eat a normal diet or absorb nutrients. She never complained, telling her coachthat she needed to set example for her teammates about working hard despite the circumstances. Asa freshman, Mellies agreed to be one of six Seattle student-athletes featured as part of the fall 2008alumni magazine story on the school's transition to Division I.

CommunityMellies has volunteered at the Rotary Boys & Girls Club and the Community Lunch in Capitol Hill areaof Seattle. She is a Student-Athlete Peer Mentor and has participated in a nine-week Student-AthleteLeadership Seminar. Mellies is one of two student-athletes on the Seattle U Athletic Advisory Board.She is a leader in the Seattle U chapter of The Society of Women Engineers and a member of theSeattle U Steel Bridge Club.

CompetitionMellies has been team's starting setter since the second match of freshman year. She is the secondplayer in Seattle U volleyball history to reach 3,000 career assists and the fifth player to collect atleast 200 career blocks. She was a first-team All-Independent in 2009. Heading into her senior year,she will be serving as captain for the third straight season. While Seattle U was still at the Division IIlevel, Mellies was named the GNAC Co-Freshman of the Year in 2007 after finishing fifth inconference with 10.62 assists per game. She ranks seventh in school history in career service aceswith 70 and 9th in career digs with 729.

Jade Michaelsen (University of New Mexico)ClassroomJade Michaelsen has a 3.77 cumulative grade point average .as a fifth-year senior working on adouble major of marketing and entrepreneurial studies in the prestigious Anderson School ofManagement. She is expected to graduate with honors in December 2010 and currently has threeconsecutive semesters with a 4.00 or higher. Michaelsen was named to the Dean's List seven of eightsemesters and is a three-time Academic All-Mountain West Conference and three-time MWCScholar-Athlete.

CharacterMichaelsen will be team captain against this season after serving as one the previous two years. Sheis an exceptional team leader on and off the court.

CommunityMichaelsen has done numerous community service projects during career including visiting UNMChildren's Hospital, Toys for Tots, helping out with Junior Lobos and a variety of local volleyball youthand adult tournaments and clinics. She is a pen pal with a class at the Northwest Learning Center.Her entire team gets involved with the annual Think Pink match during the season in conjunction withthe UNM Hospital and annual Grass Bash Tournament in the spring to benefit UNM Children'sHospital.

CompetitionMichaelsen is a two-time All-Mountain West Conference team member. She has been named to fourall-tournament teams during the 2009 season and earned her 3,000th career assist during the 2009season, moving into fifth place on the UNM all-time career assists list.

Sabel Moffett (Northwestern University)ClassroomSabel Moffett is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection majoring in psychology.

CharacterMoffett has been the heart and soul of the Wildcat volleyball team for the past two seasons, servingas team captain both on the court and off. She has an extremely engaging personality and is anatural leader. A relatively new player to the sport of volleyball entering college, Moffett has dedicatedherself incredibly since her redshirt year to the point where she was one of 24 players selected to theU.S. National A2 Team this past summer.

CommunityMoffett has participated in several community service projects during her time at Northwestern,During Women's Basketball Autism Awareness Day, Moffett - along with other student-athletes -assisted those with autism to their seats in Welsh Ryan. She also spent time with some of the autisticchildren in the auxiliary gym playing games as well as watching movies in the N-Club. Sheparticipated in Read Across America by reading a book to a classroom of special needs children atPark School here in Evanston. at Northwestern's Field Day, she and her teammates hosted a sessionin which they coached local youth through different activities relevant to volleyball. As part of NationalStudent-Athlete Day, athletes from the Special Olympics came to Welsh Ryan arena where they werecoached and cheered through certain events by Moffett and other Northwestern student-athletes. There was an autograph session at the end where the Special Olympians signed posters for theNorthwestern student-athletes. Over the past three years Moffett has also served as a representativefor Northwestern at the NCAA Apple Conference. The Apple Conference is aimed at promotingstudent-athlete health and wellness. During the conference Moffett and other Northwesternstudent-athletes would develop a project to take back to campus. After their first trip to theconference Moffett and her fellow student-athletes developed a presentation on alcohol education. They educated freshman student-athletes as well as other peers on topics such as the dangers ofbinge drinking and the amount of alcohol in beverage containers. After her second trip to theconference, Moffett and the other student-athletes collaborated with the Office of Multicultural StudentAffairs to host a social event for student-athletes and non student-athletes. This event gave studentsthe opportunity to create new connections with people that they may not normally have theopportunity to meet. The most recent Apple Team, which includes Moffett, is currently in the processof developing a student-taught seminar in which they will educate their peers on certain topics suchas alcohol, bystander intervention and suicide.

CompetitionAn AVCA All-America honorable mention selection in 2009 after being named All-Big Ten, Moffettstarted all 32 matches with a season .349 hitting percentage, which is tops in program history for asingle season. She also currently ranks second in Northwestern history with a career .299 hittingpercentage. Moffett led the team in kills with 398, ranking sixth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage(.349), kills per set (3.37) and points per set (4.25). She moved into ninth-place all-time in NU historyin career block assists and 10th in solo blocks and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of theWeek on Nov. 9. Her 137 block assists and 165 total blocks are the third-best single-season totals in

program history as she ranked fifth in the Big Ten in blocks per set (1.40). Moffett was named to theall-tournament team in all four of Northwestern's 2009 preseason tournaments, including three MVPselections.

Stephanie Niemer (University of Cincinnati)ClassroomStephanie Niemer is a Marvin Kolodzik Business Scholar, which is a program that develops valuedprofessionals with depth in their desired specialization. To enable highly effective specialists, theprogram emphasizes innovation, globalization and collaboration. As a marketing major, Niemer ownsa 3.747 GPA and is set to graduate in June 2010. Following her playing days, Niemer has an interestin staying involved in athletics. She is interested in possibly playing volleyball oversees and eventuallyworking in a sports marketing position for a university or professional program.

CharacterNiemer has been a leader on and off the floor for the Bearcats. She lets her play on the court speakfor itself while being a team player and leading others off the floor.

CommunityNiemer 's community involvement since arriving on campus includes playing with and reading toyoung children at the UC Learning Center; coaching at kids' volleyball clinics in 2008 and 2009;assisting with the Christmas Tree Auction; and volunteering at the Operation School Bell/AssistanceLeague Cincinnati Chapter, Adopt a Family for Christmas, Kids Zone and Kings Mill ElementarySchool. She has also helped with 4th grade volleyball practice, a high school volleyball clinic, theSpecial Olympics and Girls on the Run.

CompetitionNiemer's career highlights include being named a 2009 AVCA Honorable-Mention All-American and athree-time all-conference selection, including first-team all-BIG EAST honors in 2008 and 2009. Shebecame the 15th player in school history to reach 1,000 career kills and ranks No. 9 on UC's all-timekills list (1,349) and is fifth on career aces chart (149). She sits in second on the single-game killschart after putting 34 balls to the floor at Utah on Aug. 29, 2009. In addition, as a junior, she wasnamed to the BIG EAST Conference All-Tournament team and named the GreaterCincinnati/Northern Kentucky Women's Sports Association Sportswoman of the Year. As asophomore, Niemer was a first-team all-conference selection and was the only sophomore to earnfirst-team distinction. She was tapped the 2007 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and was a secondteam all-conference selection.

Becky Novacek (University of Dayton)ClassroomThe definition of a student-athlete, Becky Novacek has excelled on the court and in the classroom.The Atlantic 10 First Team selection is a six time member of the Dean's List and had a 4.00 GPA forthe fall 2008 semester and winter 2009 semester. She earned the University of Dayton's PresidentialScholarship, which is a four-year renewable scholarship. An accounting major, Novacek was inductedinto Beta Gamma Sigma, an honors business fraternity as well as Beta Alpha Psi, an accountingfraternity. She has been named to the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll for her freshman, sophomoreand junior seasons. In addition, she is also a two-time member of Dayton's All-Academic Team.Novacek also received the Mortar Board Premier Scholar-Athlete Award during her junior season.Novacek has helped the Flyers earn the AVCA's Team Academic award for three consecutiveseasons.

CharacterNovacek has overcome a number of obstacles since enrolling at the University of Dayton. She wasn'texpected to be a dominant middle blocker due to her height, however, in that time she has beennamed to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference. Additionally, she and her teammates have had to overcomethe death of their teammate Kacie Hausfeld who perished in a plane crash in April of 2010.

CommunityNovacek has given back to the Dayton community in a number of ways. She has helped raise moneyfor breast cancer research in each of her first three seasons. Novacek has also "adopted" anunderprivileged child for the University of Dayton's Christmas on Campus, a campus-wide initiative tobring the joy of Christmas to those less fortunate in the Dayton region. In addition to team initiatives,she has also taken on a number of individual volunteer projects. Last season, Novacek baked forMeals on Wheels and also volunteered to help those in need prepare their taxes. Prior to that she hasdonated to Locks of Love and has participated in National Women In Sport Day for the last threeseasons. Novacek has also served as a mentor to fellow students. In her junior year she tutored forthe accounting exam and also served as a test proctor for the exam. She also volunteered at the BetaAlpha Psi table during the nationally-recognized RISE (Redefining Investment Strategy Education)Symposium hosted by the University of Dayton.She currently has an accounting internship with theBWI Group working with fixed assets in the finance department.

CompetitionNovacek had a dominant junior season. She was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 in 2009 afterposting a .332 hitting percentage. She posted a season-high 17 kills on two occasions and alsoadded a season-high eight blocks. She helped the team advance to the second round of the NCAATournament for the second time in her career and in the program's history. In her sophomore season,Novacek saw some playing time at the middle blocker position playing behind a veteran senior middleblocker Bethany Akerhielm and All-American Lindsay Fletemier. Despite this, she helped the teamadvance to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in her career. In her freshman year, Novacekhelped the Flyers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Lauren Rapp (University of Kentucky)ClassroomLauren Rapp holds a 3.835 grade point average in elementary education. She has earned a spot onthe Dean's List in all six of her six semesters at UK. A three-time member of the All-SEC AcademicHonor Roll and twice named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team, Rapp has been inducted intothe following Honor Societies: Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Stigma Theta, Sigma Alpha Lambda.

CharacterA tremendous leader, Rapp will be a team captain for the 2010 season. She has been inducted intothe Frank G. Ham Society of Character at UK, which is the highest distinction any UK athlete canearn. Rapp would like to teach elementary-aged children from grades K-2 and she specifically wantsto work with inner-city kids and do one-on-on tutoring with children that are behind in their age-group.Rapp feels she can best relate to these kids because she struggled as a young student but has sinceovercome her anxiety of having to spend a lot of hours on her work to become a successful collegestudent.

CommunityRapp has spent countless hours volunteering at various schools, YMCAs and as a camp counselor.She has gone to read to classrooms throughout Lexington and in her hometown. She has alsoworked at volleyball camps with kids ranging in age from 8 to 18 and she has enjoyed working at theLighthouse Ministries feeding homeless citizens. Rapp has worked as a bell ringer for the SalvationArmy, visited children at the UK Children's Hospital and worked for the St. Jude Telethon.

CompetitionRapp is a three-year starter for UK. She was named to the AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention teamas a junior and sophomore and has been an All-SEC second team performer as a junior andsophomore. She was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team after earning three SEC Freshman ofthe Week honors. She has appeared in 98 career matches and averages 2.61 kills per set with a .301hitting clip. Rapp ranks among UK's all-time bests with a .301 hitting percentage and 317 blockassists. She set the UK freshman record for block assists in a season with 130 in her first year. Shewas named to the All-Region NCAA Tournament team in 2009 after leading UK to its first SweetSixteen appearance in nearly 20 years.

Chloe Smith (University of Central Arkansas)ClassroomChloe Smith attends UCA's Honors College and is set to graduate in May 2011 with a degree indigital filmmaking. Her career goal is to professionally edit films. Smith has a 3.95 cumulative GPAand was a member of the 2009 ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team.She was the 2008 and 2009 Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year.

CharacterHead coach Steven McRoberts says of Smith: "She has a great work ethic. She is always willing toput extra time in to make herself better. She encourages her teammates to come to the gym in theoff-season to work out. She has also helped numerous classmates complete their film projects byvolunteering her time to edit their films. She also asks the coaching staff what she can do to help theteam, whether it be on or off the court. She is always conscious of her GPA and puts a lot of effortinto her studies to try and make a 4.0. She takes responsibility for her bad performances on the courtand looks for ways to improve so that it doesn't happen again. She is the only player on the team thatwill ask to watch extra game footage (on her own) so she can make adjustments and get better."

CommunitySmith participated in the Dig for the Cure (Breast Cancer Awareness) match. She has volunteered fortwo years of reading to elementary students, three years of working the kids triathlon on campus andvisiting the elderly at College Square Retirement Home. She has participated in activities such as thesock donation to the Haven House and food donation to the Bethlehem House. She has worked thepancake breakfast to raise money for the UCA football player Che Jones who suffered from Crohn'sDisease.

CompetitionSmith was named the 2008 and 2009 Southland Conference Player of the Year. She is a two-timeAll-SLC First Team and the 2007 SLC Freshman of the Year. Smith was the SLC Offensive Player ofthe Week five times and Defensive POW once. She ranks first in school history with 3.86 kills per setand second with 1,256 kills and third with a .293 hitting percentage. She helped UCA set a schoolrecord in winning percentage all three seasons. The 2009 team went 27-3 and 16-0 in the SouthlandConference to win the regular season title.

Mary Ashley Tippins (Georgia Tech)ClassroomMary Ashley Tippins is a management major focusing on marketing. She will graduate in December2011.

CharacterTippins has grown up with the game and was always the younger one on teams and had to step upas a leader since the setter touches every ball that comes over the net. It was very intimidating for herbeing a freshman in high school and in college to demand the best out of juniors and seniors. Hermom has been battling cancer for about 14 years now, and when she was younger she never reallyunderstood how serious her illness was, but during Tippins' freshman year in college, her mother hada re-occurence of cancer in her brain. Her mom's cancer hit her and her family hard. The only placeshe found happiness and relief was on the volleyball court and her teammates were there for her andhad her back through everything, so she then embraced her position to her full potential.

CommunityTippins has helped out in the community by doing soup kitchens, Habitat for Humanity and playingwith under-priveliged kids since high school. When she came to Georgia Tech, she got involved withsome more service and her particular favorite one is working the Special Olympics. She helps outwith the opening ceremonies and the people she meets are so incredible and have such positive andoptimistic attitudes. It truly inspires her to appreciate all aspects in life and to enjoy every moment.She has also been greatly involved with the volleyball community in Atlanta. She has helped out herold club in coaching the 16-year-old age group the past three years. She also helps with anotherprogram called Volley Performance which is run by Bob Westbrook. Helping girls improve theirvolleyball game is a true passion of hers and she hopes to continue that for many years.

CompetitionAs a junior, Tippins was a 2009 AVCA honorable mention All-American, 2009 AVCA All-Region and2009 All-ACC. She started all 31 matches and played in every set on the season. She led the teamand ACC and was 20th in the nation averaging 11.27 assists per set. Her 36 service aces (0.31/set)were also first on the team and seventh in the ACC.

Dana Vargas (University of California, Santa Barbara)ClassroomDana Vargas holds a 3.19 cumulative GPA at UCSB entering her senior year. She is a sociologymajor who is on schedule to graduate in June 2011. Her tireless efforts in the classroom to maintain ahigh grade point average have helped the women's volleyball team hold the highest GPA of all ofUCSB's female athletic teams in two of her previous three years at school. Upon graduating, Vargaswould like to try her hand at professional volleyball in Europe. Once her pro career is finished, sheplans on going to law school.

CharacterOnly about 25 of nearly 450 student-athletes are featured on UCSBgauchos.com as "GreatExamples" per school year and Vargas is currently featured as the latest "Great Example." The tale ofher putting up more than numbers is a good one as she has been an instrumental part of UCSB'sturnaround and getting the Gauchos back on the national stage. She was named a captain for hersenior season. Her head coach Kathy Gregory says Vargas is "the kind of girl you can build aprogram around." Her work ethic is constantly cited as one of her biggest strengths. After her first twoseasons at UCSB did not net a postseason berth, Vargas took it upon herself to lead the team andget the Gauchos back to the postseason. It was Vargas's idea entering her junior season to keep theentire volleyball team in Santa Barbara so they could work out together and build team chemistry.That example was one of the major reasons the team returned to the NCAA Tournament last season.Gregory calls Vargas "an unbelievable leader" illustrating how she is able to relate with every personon the team in a personal and tactful, respectable manner. Entering her 36th season as head coach,Gregory also says that Vargas is "the most humble player to wear a Gaucho uniform." Examples ofthis are that she puts the team and the team's goals above any of her own personal accomplishmentsand any bad point, game or match, she is the first to take responsibility and blame. She never pointsa finger and shoulders the load for the team no matter what happens. She is constantly working everyday to improve her own game and works out daily with her teammates to improve their game. Vargasis the unquestioned leader of the team and is a magnet for all the players to come to with problems orthose needing resolutions.

CommunityVargas has been an extremely active member in the Santa Barbara community while at UCSB. Shehas served as a volunteer coach for the Blenders Volleyball Club as well as the Santa BarbaraVolleyball Club. Her mother, Olympian Debbie Green, holds annual summer volleyball clinics andVargas has been a big part of instructing in those clinics. Vargas has also helped out with UCSBvolleyball camps, instructing youths on the fundamental skills needed to play volleyball. She has alsoworked with elementary school children on their class work and by doing activities with them as partof the UCSB team's efforts to raise their profile in the community and set great examples of femaleleadership. Along her teammates, Vargas has been active at one of the homeless shelters in SantaBarbara, serving food to the less fortunate. She has also volunteered at a local animal shelter walkingdogs and helping out the shelter. As a Living Scholar at UCSB (a model student-athlete for donors to"sponsor") Vargas helped with an annual beach clean-up day that cleared nearby Goleta Beach ofdebris and foreign objects. As the face of the UCSB volleyball team, she has been featured innumerous athletics-based videos and promotions, never saying no to an opportunity to expand her

team's profile in the community in a positive way.

CompetitionAs a junior Vargas became one of just three setters in UCSB history to garner All-American,All-Region and First Team All-Big West status. The other two did it as seniors, so Vargas has anopportunity to go down in school history as one of the most decorated players to ever wear a Gauchouniform. She was a first-team All-West Region pick and an Honorable Mention All-American, bothpresented by the AVCA. She is currently fourth all-time in career assists at UCSB and could becomeone of just three players in school history to notch 5,000 assists in a career. She had 1,297 assistslast season, which led the Big West while averaging 10.90 assists per set, which was second in theBig West and 40th in the nation.

Arielle Wilson (Pennsylvania State University)ClassroomArielle Wilson is set to graduate in May 2011 with a degree in nursing. Beyond pursuing volleyball,she plans to be an emergency room nurse. Wilson is an academic All-Big Ten honoree.

CharacterWilson is one of six seniors on the team in 2010. She played a major role in three straight NCAAnational championships as a starting middle hitter and was an integral part of Penn State'scome-from-behind 3-2 win against Texas in the 2009 NCAA national championship match. Wilsonleads by example. She expects herself to lead the team this year, which includes nine newcomers (allfreshmen), as one of the most experienced players on the court. Wilson is a consistently positiveperson who doesn't let mistakes or certain situations get her down. She prefers to work as a teamrather than independently and her work ethic on the court carries over into her classroom efforts asshe maintains a strong GPA in a tough major.

CommunityWilson volunteers with her former high school volleyball team, running a volleyball camp at her highschool. She volunteers at the Penn State Dance MaraTHON, which raises money for the FourDiamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center benefiting kids with cancer and she volunteers at theSpecial Olympics held at Penn State.

CompetitionWilson has been named a 2009 AVCA First Team All-American and 2008 AVCA Second TeamAll-American. She was a member of the 2009 NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team and led thenation in 2009 with a record-breaking .540 hitting percentage. Her career .489 hitting percentage topsthe Penn State charts. Wilson is a two-time First Team All-Big Ten member and a seven-time Big TenPlayer of the Week, including three times in 2009. She was the 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Yearand Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection and the 2007 NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player.She trained with the U.S. National Team during the summer of 2010.

Lexi Zimmerman (University of Michigan)ClassroomLexi Zimmerman is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2008, 2009) as an environment majorwith a 3.36 GPA. She won the Bates/Deskin Award after the 2009-10 academic year which isawarded annually by the University to a junior student-athlete who excels in academics as well asathletics, and is an overall well-rounded individual. It is named in honor of Percy Bates, U-M professorof education, and Donald Deskins, U-M professor emeritus of urban geography and sociology

CharacterZimmerman teamed with teammate Courtney Fletcher to write guest columns for the Michigan Daily,the student newspaper. Their columns focused on bridging the divide between student-athletes andstudents at the university. Some columns were written jointly, while others were written on their own.In one, they talked about overcoming injuries. Zimmerman suffered multiple hand injuries throughoutthe 2009 season, including a dislocated thumb and eventually breaking her wrist. She found newways to contribute to the team during spring practice, like working on her footwork and figuring outhow best to accomplish team goals if she was not on the court.

CommunityAn environment major with a concentration in Urban Planning, Zimmerman wants to change the waywe operate and "save the planet" through more sustainable building practices. She took classes inWyoming during the summer of 2009 focusing on environmental improvements. She competed in theLive Green competition, where she helped design a completely sustainable OFFGRID prototypehouse. In addition to her contributions to improving the environment, she also joins the team andfellow student-athletes in visits to Mott's Children's Hospital. She has spent time volunteering forHabitat for Humanity. She also has a little sister in the Big Sisters/Big Brothers program and hasworked with an after-school program called Bright Futures.

CompetitionAlready in 2010, Zimmerman has been named MVP of the Active Ankle Challenge at Oregon Stateand to the all-tournament team at the Rocket Classic after being tabbed Preseason All-Big Ten for thethird consecutive season. In 2009, Zimmerman became the first first-team All-American in programhistory and will end her career as the most prolific setter in school history. She was an All-Americahonorable mention in 2007 before earning second-team honors in 2008. She is a two-time All-Big Tenfirst team selection (2008, 2009), along with being named to the 2007 Big Ten All-Freshman team.She currently ranks second in career assists and ninth in digs at Michigan.