AVCA Recognizes UAlbany Volleyball Program

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has recognized the University at Albany program with the GamePlanä/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2006-2007 season.

The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale during the school year. Nominating head coaches must be AVCA members. Each school will receive a plaque, and each player a certificate commemorating the designation.

UAlbany was led both on the court and in the classroom by recent graduates Blair Buchanan, Ashley DeNeal and Shelby Goldman. The three student-athletes, who were all members of the America East Conference First Team as seniors, also earned spots on the conference’s all-academic squad.

DeNeal, the America East Tournament’s most outstanding player, was also a Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award winner and earned the ECAC Merit Medal as the school’s top senior student athlete. DeNeal finished her four-year career as the program’s all-time digs leader.

Buchanan, UAlbany’s career assists leader, became the first player in NCAA Division I history to earn her conference’s player and setter of the year awards for three consecutive seasons. Buchanan was also a two-time Division I Honorable Mention All-American, and a three-time AVCA All-Northeast Region honoree.

Goldman became the program’s all-time kills leader as a senior, en route to her third straight all-conference first team award. She is a two-time member of the America East all-academic team and earned her second AVCA All-Northeast Region accolades last season.

The Great Danes, who became the first program in UAlbany’s Division I history to host an NCAA Tournament event, won their second America East championship in the last three seasons with a thrilling 3-2 victory over UMBC in the final. UAlbany will kick off the 2007 season at the Hilton Garden Inn NAU Invitational in Flagstaff, Ariz. on Friday, August 24.