Three Tide Volleyball Players Earn SEC Accolades
11/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM ?? After earning the second NCAA Tournament berth in program history, the postseason honors continued to pile up for the University of Alabama volleyball team, as three of its members were included in the Southeastern Conference postseason teams, the league office announced today.
Crystal Hudson earned first team All-SEC honors, Bridget Fuentez was named to the second team and Megan Hudson was included in the conference’s Community Service team.
Hudson, a junior from Hueytown, finished her season as one of the most powerful hitters in the league. She converted .393 percent of her attack attempts and finished with 4.02 kills per game, ranking her 6th in the SEC. Hudson recorded her 1,000th kill in a win over Tennessee, becoming just the 10th player in school history to record the feat. She was named SEC and National Player of the Week earlier this season.
“Crystal has made enormous strides in her game this season,” said Tide head coach Judy Green. “I think her determination after not making an all-conference team last year motivated her in the off-season, and the work she put in certainly showed this fall. She has had one of the most consistent conference seasons as a middle blocker as any player in the league.”
Fuentez, a junior outside hitter, earned second team All-SEC honors for the second time in as many seasons. She finished second on the team to Hudson in kills with 3.79 per game. She was second on the team with 286 digs and led the squad with 13 double-doubles.
“Bridget was able to overcome a slow start to the conference season,” said Green. “That’s a credit to how hard she worked after the first weekend of SEC play and how much time and effort she put in to raising her level of play. Bridget is so vital to our team and just contributes to our program in every way. She had a strong finish and that was by her design.”
A team co-captain, Hudson has been a key contributor to the program, both on and off the floor. This season, Hudson has played in 87 of the team’s 110 games, recording 4.41 digs per game. She has volunteered at several local organizations, including the Humane Society, the University Place Elementary school and at the University Halloween Extravaganza the past two seasons. Hudson is currently the president of the Alabama Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
“Megan is just a complete student-athlete who has great leadership qualities both on and off the volleyball court,” said Green. “She is very giving and has a tremendous way of making people feel good about themselves. Her efforts in the community are things you can read about, but it’s her personality that is the most magnetic thing about her.”
The Crimson Tide faces Stephen F. Austin in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Volleyball tournament on Friday, Dec. 1 at 4:30 p.m. in Austin, Texas.
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