"We are so excited to see Rachel recognized for such a prestigious award," head coach Travis Hudson shared. "She is a very well-rounded young person on and off the court and this recognition truly speaks to that. She truly represents everything good about college athletics."
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
In the classroom, Rachel Anderson is a three-time Conference USA Academic Honor Roll recipient. Anderson has both Western Kentucky University Dean's List and President's List recognitions to her name for her efforts. In addition to her Sports Management major, Anderson is minoring in non-profit administration. Thanks to her discipline in the classroom, the Sturgis, Mich., native is set to graduate with her Bachelor's degree this December and will start graduate school classes at WKU in the spring.
Anderson is heavily involved in the community, both in Bowling Green, Ky., and back home in Sturgis, Mich. The senior understands the impact both places have had on her and knows how important it is to reciprocate that support back. Community involvement for Anderson includes a leadership role for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, SAAC representative, WKU Athletics Marketing Street Team and Youth for Christ. Anderson spent the summer interning with Youth for Christ back home. She's also been a speaker at numerous outings – taking advantage of her athletic and spiritual platforms to share her passions with others.
After earning Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors during her debut season on The Hill, Anderson has continued to deliver for Coach Hudson and the WKU Volleyball program. Since then, Anderson is a two-time First-Team All-Conference Selection, two-time Conference USA Tournament MVP, two-time AVCA All-Region selection and AVCA All-American. Anderson provides both consistency and reliability for her squad, never missing a single set in her time with WKU. In both her sophomore and junior campaigns, Anderson registered .414 and .413 hitting percentages, respectively, to rank in the NCAA's top-10 both seasons. Anderson has already surpassed the 1200-kill milestone with a career hitting percentage of .382 and is closing in on 400 career blocks. Prior to her junior season, Anderson received an invitation to join the U.S. Collegiate National Team – Minneapolis Program as just one of 36 players selected to the squad.
Of the 30 candidates, 18 have grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher and 27 have received academic all-conference honors. Fifteen are returning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Americans, and 10 are members of teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. Outside of academics and athletics, all candidates have been consistently involved in community service on their campus or in their communities.
WKU Volleyball is one of just two NCAA programs to have three student-athletes recognized as Senior CLASS Award candidates over the last two seasons. In 2017, Alyssa Cavanaugh and Jessica Lucas both made the 30-candidate field. Creighton is the only other school to achieve the feat over the last two seasons.
Midway through the regular season, the 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in December.
Volleyball Candidates
| Kamalani Akeo, Pittsburgh | Courtney Pence, Illinois State |
| Tami Alade, Stanford | Jordan Poulter, Illinois |
| Rachel Anderson, WKU | Colleen Reilly, Wofford |
| Ali Bastianelli, Illinois | Michela Rucli, Hofstra |
| Lauren Bruns, Dayton | Jess Schaben, Iowa State |
| Santita Ebangwese, Syracuse | Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Minnesota |
| Gabrielle Eyl, Northeastern | Carly Skjodt, Michigan |
| Mikaela Foecke, Nebraska | Alexa Smith, Colorado |
| Cara Guthrie, UNC Asheville | Kirstyn Sperry, Bryant |
| Erica Haslag, Bradley | Haley Templeton, Miami |
| Taryn Kloth, Creighton | Abby Thelen, Seton Hall |
| Haley Libs, Northern Kentucky | Jaila Tolbert, Virginia Tech |
| AJ Lux, ETSU | Erica Treiber, Tennessee |
| Patricia Mattingly, Navy | Jaali Winters, Creighton |
| Alyssa Munlyn, Missouri | Karley York, North Texas |
How to Follow the Lady Toppers: For complete information on WKU Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUVolleyball and head coach Travis Hudson at @TravisHudsonWKU.
