BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Sun Belt Conference announced its 2010 volleyball awards Wednesday and four Lady Toppers were among those honored. Junior Tiffany Elmore and sophomore Jordyn Skinner were first-team All-SBC selections while freshman Melanie Stutsman and junior Lindsay Williams earned second-team All-SBC honors. Stutsman was also named SBC Freshman of the Year.
The All-SBC awards were voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
Elmore has seen action in all 108 sets this season and has spent much of the season atop both team and conference leader boards. Elmore leads the Lady Toppers with a .372 hitting percentage, 310 kills (2.87/set) and 121 blocks (1.12/set). She is second in the league in blocking, ranks second in the league and 32nd nationally in hitting percentage, and is top 10 in the league in kills. In Sun Belt play, Elmore leads the conference with 1.24 blocks per set and is fourth with a .375 hitting percentage.
Skinner is one of the top all-around players in the league who is a primary passer for the Lady Toppers. The Michigan native has recorded three double-doubles, the last against No. 21-ranked Cincinnati. The sophomore has eight matches this season with double-digit kills and 16 with double-digit digs, which includes nine of the last 11 matches. In 105 sets this season, Skinner is averaging 2.41 kills per set and 3.00 digs per set.
The honor is the second for Elmore, who earned second team recognition last season, and first for Skinner.
Williams has seen action in 107 of 108 sets this season while recording a career-high 254 kills, an average of 2.37 per set. 138 of her 254 kills have come in conference play. Williams is second on the team with a .346 hitting percentage, good for fourth individually in the Sun Belt and 69th nationally. In league play, her percentage increases to .348, also top five. Williams has posted a hitting percentage over .400 with at least 10 attempts in 12 different matches this season.
Stutsman set her team to a .294 hitting percentage which ranks sixth in the country. She has seen action in all 108 sets this season at the setter position. Through 32 games, Stutsman has collected 1,140 assists for an average of 10.56. This number ranks third in the conference and 56th in the nation in assists per sets. She has recorded 30 assists in 26 of 32 matches this season. She ranks fifth in the conference with a .345 hitting percentage, a mark that improves to .385 in league play.
The honor is the first for both Stutsman and Williams. Stutsman is the first Lady Topper to earn SBC Freshman of the Year honors since Megan Argabright in 2005.
WKU is the No. 2 seed for this week's SBC Tournament and will open play Thursday with a noon quarterfinal matchup against No. 7 seed Louisiana-Lafayette. The SBC Tournament appearance this season marks the 12th straight in program history.
All-Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Teams
First Team
Andrea Lakovic, FIU
Natalia Valentin, FIU
Ashley Adams, Middle Tennessee
Izabela Kozon, Middle Tennessee
Maria Szivos, Middle Tennessee
Amy Huddleston, North Texas
Tiffany Elmore, Western Kentucky
Jordyn Skinner, Western Kentucky
Second Team
Megan Baska, Arkansas State
Cayla Fielder, Arkansas State
Kacie Wikierak, Denver
Lesley Mirarchi, Louisiana-Lafayette
Stacy Oladinni, Middle Tennessee
Kayla Saey, North Texas
Melanie Stutsman, Western Kentucky
Lindsay Williams, Western Kentucky
Defensive Player of the Year: Megan Baska, Arkansas State
Freshman of the Year: Melanie Stutsman, Western Kentucky
Player of the Year: Izabela Kozon, Middle Tennessee
Coach of the Year: Matt Peck, Middle Tennessee
