BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Volleyball celebrated another season this past Friday as the Lady Toppers held their annual postseason awards banquet inside the Jack and Jackie Harbaugh Stadium Club. With 24-year veteran head coach Travis Hudson serving as the master of ceremonies, several awards were handed out to commemorate the successes of the 2018 campaign.
Taking home the Best Offensive Player award was senior Rachel Anderson. The Sturgis, Mich., native worked at a .346 offensive clip on the season with 397 kills and 486 total points – all of which led the team. Anderson was named an Honorable Mention All-American for her efforts while also being named a Senior CLASS Award candidate.
Junior Sophia Cerino was recognized with a pair of honors. First, she shared WKU Volleyball's Academic Award with senior Mary Martin before collecting the team's Most Valuable Player accolade. Cerino was a versatile piece on and off the court for the Red and White, earning a spot on both the Conference USA Volleyball All-Academic Team as well as the league's All-Conference Second Team.
Earning the Best Defensive Player award was sophomore defensive specialist Darby Music. She racked up 227 digs throughout the season with eight double-digit dig performances.
Hallie Shelton collected the Coach's Award following her second season on The Hill. Shelton did a little bit of everything for the Lady Toppers and earned All-Tournament Team status from the Holiday Inn University Plaza Invitational for her efforts. The sophomore also registered a double double with 11 kills and 19 digs against Notre Dame.
Rounding out the 2018 player awards was Katie Isenbarger who was recognized as the squad's Most Improved Player. Isenbarger drew 19 starts on the season and saw an increase in playing time as the season went along. The freshman led WKU in kills in a pair of matches and eight times in blocks.
The 2018 Dr. Charlie Daniel Red Towel Spirit Award was presented to the Micatrotto family for their generous support of the program as they funded the team's locker room renovation. View the reveal video here.
To recap, the Lady Toppers put together the program's 19th-straight 20-win season in 2018, as they finished 20-10 on the year. WKU went 11-3 in its fifth season in Conference USA. WKU is one of just five programs across Division I volleyball to own at least 19 consecutive 20-win seasons. The team is joined by Nebraska, Penn State, Florida and Colorado State.
As a team, WKU has now earned the AVCA All-Academic Team Award for 12 straight years. With a cumulative GPA of 3.61, the Lady Toppers have earned the Team Academic Award for the 16th time since 1999.
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.
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