UAlbany Volleyball's Hillary White and Valerie Sourbeer Named to America East Conference All-Academic Team

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Cambridge, Mass. – Hillary White and Valerie Sourbeer were named to the America East Conference All-Academic Team, as announced by the league office on Thursday afternoon. It is the first all-academic honor for both student-athletes.

White, a senior middle blocker, earned a 3.51 cumulative grade point average as a double major in human biology and psychology. She was named to the America East All-Conference Second Team for the second time in her career after averaging 1.95 kills and 0.91 digs per game this season. White finished with 92 total blocks, including 20 solo. She recorded a career-high 14 kills at Stony Brook and finished with a season-best 11 digs at Maine.

Sourbeer, a junior outside hitter, posted a 3.81 GPA as a business administration major. A member of the UAlbany Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, she played in 28 matches as a junior, averaging 2.60 kills per set. She recorded a career-high 18 kills at San Diego State to go along with a .359 hitting percentage, and tallied double-digit kill totals on eight occasions. Sourbeer finished the season with 35 total blocks, including four total blocks at Maine, and had a season-best six digs twice.

The All-Academic squads are a product of the June 2005 Athletics Director meetings, where faculty representatives and athletics directors from each of the conference’s nine member institutions decided to honor the league’s top student-athletes, whom excel equally in the classroom as they do on the playing field. All-Academic squads for team sports are based on the number of athletes that participate in a contest at one time. To be nominated for the distinction, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve for their team and participate in at least 50 percent of their team’s games or competitions. In the classroom, student-athletes must have a 3.30 GPA and have completed at least one calendar year at their institution.

2008 America East Conference All-Academic Team

Sarah Ball, UMBC
Kirsten Bates, UNH
Gulce Dikecligil, Stony Brook
Dawn Lammert, Binghamton
Michelle McDonough, Binghamton
Valerie Sourbeer, Albany
Hillary White, Albany