UAlbany Volleyball Hands Out Season-Ending Awards at Banquet

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – The University at Albany volleyball team, which won its second-consecutive America East Conference Championship last season, recently handed out the 2007 team awards at the annual post-season banquet.

Junior middle blocker Kamisha Kellam was named the team’s most valuable player after averaging 3.24 kills and 1.06 blocks per game. Kellam was named to the all-conference first team after earning second-team accolades as a sophomore. She was a top-10 conference leader in hitting percentage (.322), kills per game (3.27) and points per game (3.94), and finished the regular season ranked fifth in blocks with 1.05 per game. She is currently second on UAlbany’s career blocks chart with 283.

Sophomore Valerie Sourbeer was chosen as the team’s most improved player. Sourbeer, who played in her first season with the Great Danes after transferring from Pacific University, averaged 2.27 kills per game. She recorded her first career double-double at Pennsylvania, recording 14 kills and 13 digs against the Quakers.

The Great Danes awarded sophomore Laura Livergood the team’s “Bring It” award, given to the player who best embodies a team-first attitude. The “Bring It” award winner is an athlete that is consistently practicing on her competitive edge and shows tremendous leadership in times of success and adversity. Given by head coach Kelly Sheffield, Livergood earned the “Bring It” award because she is a player that is always supporting teammates in order to build a positive system and community.

Additionally, seniors Ashley Crenshaw and Natasha Marquis were honored for their contributions to the program. Crenshaw averaged 3.14 kills and 0.90 blocks per game in her final season with the Great Danes, and finished her career ranked ninth on UAlbany’s career kills chart with 1,043. She is also second in career blocks with 317. Crenshaw, who earned all-conference honors for the third time in her career, led the America East in hitting percentage (.331) for the second straight season. Marquis recorded 33 kills and 11 block assists as a senior, finishing third on the team in hitting percentage (.267).

The Great Danes, who were the third seed in the conference tournament, defeated New Hampshire and host Stony Brook to claim their third America East title in the last four years. UAlbany posted a 24-10 overall record, and won the program’s first-ever match in the NCAA Tournament, defeating Cleveland State, 3-0, in the first round of play. The Great Danes fell in the second round of tournament play to eventual National Champions Penn State.