Dec. 6, 2006
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -
The 2006 season is finished for the University of Memphis volleyball team, but the accolades continue to build as Shelby Burton, Laura Côté and Christen Clayton all received recognition by the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Wednesday. Burton and Côté were named to the AVCA All-Midwest Region team, while Clayton was tabbed an All-Midwest Region Honorable Mention performer. The three All-Region selections mark the first time in Memphis volleyball history that multiple players have been honored. It is also the first time that a Tiger has earned AVCA credit since former U of M setter Heather Watts earned First Team All-Midwest Region in 2004.
A junior middle blocker, Burton adds this AVCA postseason award to Conference USA First Team and All-tournament honors. A two-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Week award winner, Burton finished the season as the league's leader in service and blocks. Her 73 service aces currently ranks 25 nationally, while she is sixth in the country with a .413 attack percentage. Her .413 attacking clip pushed her past Holly Buford as the programs all-time leading hitter, with a .362 career hitting percentage. The San Antonio, Texas native finished the season with a team-high 513 kills and 168 total blocks.
Côté followed a solid freshman season with an even more impressive sophomore campaign, leading Memphis to its second C-USA Tournament Championship appearance in four years. She joined Burton on the C-USA First Team All-Conference squad as well as the all-tournament team. A two-time C-USA Setter of the Week selection, Côté set the league's sophomore class record for assists in a single-season with 1,692--good for first in C-USA and 29th in the country at 13.02 assists per game. An ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 Third Team honoree, Côté continues to climb the University of Memphis assists ladder and ranks third all-time at Memphis and 17th in Conference USA with 3,143 career assists.
Clayton wrapped up her collegiate career with four postseason awards after earning AVCA Honorable Mention recognition. One of just two liberos to be honored in the Midwest Region, the senior co-captain was noted as the league's top libero when she was named the 2006 Libero of the Year. She also was a Second Team All C-USA pick as well as an ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 Third Team honoree. Clayton reset Memphis' single-season digs records in 2005 and 2006 en route to claiming the program's all-time digs record with 1,812. She is fourth all-time in Conference USA in career digs. Clayton is one of four Tiger volleyball players to ever post 30 or more digs in a match, when she set a personal-best with 32 digs in a five-game win over Rice. That mark is tied for second in Memphis' single-match recordbook.
The Tiger trio is joined by fellow C-USA players Kelly-Anne Billingy of Marshall, Ivana Bozic of UAB, Sara Radosevic of Tulane and Julia Silva of Tulsa. Billingy, Radosevic and Silva are three of four players to earn multiple All-Region honors. Tulane's Ksenija Vlaskovic was named All Midwest Region Freshman of the Year and also earned honorable mention honors. SMU's Rachel Giubilato and UAB's Fernanda Domingos also were named honorable mention performers.
Memphis finished the year 27-8 after falling to UAB in the Conference USA Championship match on Nov. 19. It was the Tigers' second championship appearance ever.
The following is the AVCA All-Midwest Region Team:
Midwest Region
Kelly-Anne Billingy*** Marshall University OH Jr.
Abbey Breit** Jacksonville State OH Jr.
Ivana Bozic UAB OH So.
Shelby Burton Memphis MB Jr.
Laura Cote Memphis S/H So.
Leanne Felsing UW-Milwaukee S/H Jr.
Cheryl Hegemann UW-Milwaukee MB Sr.
Heather Norris Murray State DS/Lib So.
Sara Radosevic** Tulane University OH So.
Julia Silva** Tulsa S Jr.
Ambria Springer Illinois-Chicago MB Sr.
Emily Withers Jacksonville State S Sr.
Region Freshman of the Year: Ksenija Vlaskovic, Tulane, OH
Honorable Mention: Christen Clayton (Memphis, DS/Lib, Sr.), Fernanda Domingos (UAB, RS/Opp, Jr.), Rachel Giubilato (SMU, OH, Jr.), Katie Kemezys (Murray State, MB, Sr.), Betty Slinger (UW-Green Bay, S/H, Jr.), Ksenija Vlaskovic (Tulane, OH, Fr.)
