Hudson Earns AVCA All-Region Honors
12/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA ?? University of Alabama junior standout Crystal Hudson was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)All-South Region team, the organization announced. Hudson, a middle blocker from Hueytown, led the Tide in kills and hitting percentage while helping the team earn its second-ever NCAA Tournament bid in 2006.
“It is a well-deserved honor for Crystal and a nice honor for Alabama volleyball,” said Tide head coach Judy Green. “Crystal took her game to the next level this season and it was very fun to watch her develop from being a tremendous athlete to a tremendous volleyball player. She is definitely one of the top players in the SEC and we anticipate her having a great senior year next season.”
Hudson, a first team All-Southeastern Conference honoree, a two-time league player of the week and the AVCA’s National Player of the Week in mid-October, ended her season ranked second in the SEC in hitting percentage with a .384 mark and sixth in kills per game, tallying 3.93 per game on the year.
She helped the Tide to a 17-13 mark on the season, good for second place in the SEC West division and a second-straight berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Tide lost in five games to Stephen F. Austin in the first round last week.
Hudson, who recorded 452 kills on the season, moved past the 1,000-kill barrier in early November, just the 10th player in school history to accomplish the feat. She finished the year with 1,089 career kills and enters her senior season ranked ninth in kills at Alabama.
She was nearly unstoppable in the SEC, finishing with a 4.21 kill per game average while hitting .424 in league matches.
“Crystal certainly proved her abilities against some of the best teams this season,” said Green. “Her performances showed that she was one of the best players around and deserves all the recognition she receives.”
Hudson was just as effective against the nation’s top teams. Against the top-50 nationally, Hudson slammed 3.89 kills, hit .366 and tallied 1.11 blocks per game, helping the Tide record a pair of wins over top-25 opponents, including a victory over No. 10 LSU, the highest ranked team UA has ever beaten.
A health care management major at UA, Hudson is one of five starters returning for the Tide in 2007.
