University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Four Panthers Earn AVCA All-America Honors
12/12/2018 11:26:00 AM | Volleyball
Honors are Most for Pitt in Single Season
MINNEAPOLIS – Following a historic 2018 season, four University of Pittsburgh student-athletes earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America honors, as announced Wednesday.
The four All-America honors are the most for Pitt volleyball in a single season. Junior right side Nika Markovic was named to the AVCA All-America Third Team, becoming the first Panther since 2009 to earn the recognition. Sophomore outside Kayla Lund, junior middle Layne Van Buskirk and redshirt junior outside Stephanie Williams each earned an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention.
"These awards are indicative of the hard work that these student-athletes put forth this season, as each of them have helped this program rise to the status that it is today," 2018 AVCA East Coast Region Coach of the Year Dan Fisher said. "Having the most All-Americans in a single season in program history is significant. I'm proud to be their coach and I'm very glad to see them recognized on a national scale."
Markovic's Third Team honors are the first of her career, and she is the first Panther to earn the accolades since Meagan Dooley did so in 2009. She is the third in program history to receive the recognition, joining Dooley (2009) and Wendy Hatlestad (2003). Markovic earned All-America Honorable Mention status following the 2017 season.
Williams makes her third consecutive appearance as an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention (2016, 2017), becoming the first Panther in program history to do so. The honors are the first for Lund and Van Buskirk.
The 2018 season marks the fifth consecutive year that at least one student-athlete from Pitt has earned All-America accolades and the fourth with multiple Panthers earning the honors.
This season, the Panthers achieved their second consecutive ACC Championship, as well as their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Pitt earned a No. 12 seed for the tournament and hosted the First and Second Rounds at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers earned their highest single season winning percentage in program history (.938, 30-2) in addition to their highest ACC season winning percentage (.944, 17-1). Their 30 wins are the most in a season since 1990 (32-6).
A Braslovce, Slovenia, native, Markovic led Pitt's offense this season with 3.60 kills per set from the right side, ranking fifth in the ACC. She added 0.86 blocks and 1.92 digs per frame. She paced Pitt in scoring in 13 matches, including the final five of the regular season, ranking third in the ACC with 4.33 points per set. She posted 24 matches with double-figure kills and had five double-doubles. In the Panthers' NCAA First Round sweep of Iona, Markovic reached the 1,000-kill mark for her career.
A six-rotation player, Williams played key roles all over the court for the Panthers. The Eastlake, Ohio, native posted averages of 2.56 kills, 2.08 digs, 0.62 blocks and 0.25 service aces per set. She had three double-doubles and registered double-figure kills in 12 matches. She joined Pitt's 1,000-kill club early in the season against Virginia and now ranks 10th in school history with 1,177 for her career.
Lund posted well-rounded statistics all season, ranking second on the team with 3.58 kills and 2.64 digs per set. The Pasadena, Calif., native led the Panthers with 38 service aces, coming in third in the ACC. She was fourth in the league with 4.09 points per set and was named ACC Player of the Week three times. She led the Panthers with 13 double-doubles and had three matches with 20 or more kills.
One of the most accurate attackers in the NCAA, Van Buskirk ranked ninth in the nation and second in the ACC with a .403 hitting percentage, which rates as the third-best season percentage in school history. In addition to her deadly attack, the Windsor, Ontario, native ranked third in the league with 1.42 blocks per set. She posted the fifth-most season block assists in school history with 137, and tied for the fifth-most total blocks in a season with 161.
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The four All-America honors are the most for Pitt volleyball in a single season. Junior right side Nika Markovic was named to the AVCA All-America Third Team, becoming the first Panther since 2009 to earn the recognition. Sophomore outside Kayla Lund, junior middle Layne Van Buskirk and redshirt junior outside Stephanie Williams each earned an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention.
"These awards are indicative of the hard work that these student-athletes put forth this season, as each of them have helped this program rise to the status that it is today," 2018 AVCA East Coast Region Coach of the Year Dan Fisher said. "Having the most All-Americans in a single season in program history is significant. I'm proud to be their coach and I'm very glad to see them recognized on a national scale."
Markovic's Third Team honors are the first of her career, and she is the first Panther to earn the accolades since Meagan Dooley did so in 2009. She is the third in program history to receive the recognition, joining Dooley (2009) and Wendy Hatlestad (2003). Markovic earned All-America Honorable Mention status following the 2017 season.
Williams makes her third consecutive appearance as an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention (2016, 2017), becoming the first Panther in program history to do so. The honors are the first for Lund and Van Buskirk.
The 2018 season marks the fifth consecutive year that at least one student-athlete from Pitt has earned All-America accolades and the fourth with multiple Panthers earning the honors.
This season, the Panthers achieved their second consecutive ACC Championship, as well as their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Pitt earned a No. 12 seed for the tournament and hosted the First and Second Rounds at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers earned their highest single season winning percentage in program history (.938, 30-2) in addition to their highest ACC season winning percentage (.944, 17-1). Their 30 wins are the most in a season since 1990 (32-6).
A Braslovce, Slovenia, native, Markovic led Pitt's offense this season with 3.60 kills per set from the right side, ranking fifth in the ACC. She added 0.86 blocks and 1.92 digs per frame. She paced Pitt in scoring in 13 matches, including the final five of the regular season, ranking third in the ACC with 4.33 points per set. She posted 24 matches with double-figure kills and had five double-doubles. In the Panthers' NCAA First Round sweep of Iona, Markovic reached the 1,000-kill mark for her career.
A six-rotation player, Williams played key roles all over the court for the Panthers. The Eastlake, Ohio, native posted averages of 2.56 kills, 2.08 digs, 0.62 blocks and 0.25 service aces per set. She had three double-doubles and registered double-figure kills in 12 matches. She joined Pitt's 1,000-kill club early in the season against Virginia and now ranks 10th in school history with 1,177 for her career.
Lund posted well-rounded statistics all season, ranking second on the team with 3.58 kills and 2.64 digs per set. The Pasadena, Calif., native led the Panthers with 38 service aces, coming in third in the ACC. She was fourth in the league with 4.09 points per set and was named ACC Player of the Week three times. She led the Panthers with 13 double-doubles and had three matches with 20 or more kills.
One of the most accurate attackers in the NCAA, Van Buskirk ranked ninth in the nation and second in the ACC with a .403 hitting percentage, which rates as the third-best season percentage in school history. In addition to her deadly attack, the Windsor, Ontario, native ranked third in the league with 1.42 blocks per set. She posted the fifth-most season block assists in school history with 137, and tied for the fifth-most total blocks in a season with 161.
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Players Mentioned
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