Aug. 26, 2010
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Senior volleyball player Lauren Rapp has been nominated as one of 30 candidates for the LOWES Senior Class award in the inaugural year in volleyball for the award announced Thursday.
Thirty NCAA women’s volleyball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court were selected as candidates for the first Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Rapp is an exceptional leader for the Blue and White and excels in all four areas of excellence for the award. She holds a 3.835 grade point average in elementary education and has earned a spot on the Dean’s List in all six of her semesters at UK. Rapp is a three-time member of the All-SEC Academic Honor Roll and twice has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. She has been inducted into the following Honor Societies: Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Stigma Theta, Sigma Alpha Lambda.
A tremendous leader, Rapp will be a team captain for the 2010 season. She has been inducted into the Frank G. Ham Society of Character at UK, which is the highest distinction any UK athlete can earn. Rapp would like to teach elementary-aged children from grades K-2 and she specifically wants to work with inner-city kids and do one-on-on tutoring with children that are behind in their age-group.
In the community, Rapp has spent countless hours volunteering at various schools, YMCAs and as a camp counselor. She has gone to read to classrooms throughout Lexington and in her hometown. She has also worked at volleyball camps with kids ranging in age from eight to 18 and has enjoyed working at the Lighthouse Ministries feeding homeless citizens. Rapp has worked as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army, visited children at the UK Children’s Hospital and worked for the St. Jude Telethon.
On the court Rapp is a three-year starter for UK. She was named to the AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention team as a junior and sophomore and has been an All-Southeastern Conference second team performer in each of the last two seasons. She was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team after earning three SEC Freshman of the Week honors in her initial collegiate season. Rapp has appeared in 98 career matches and averages 2.61 kills per set with a .301 hitting clip. She ranks among UK’s all-time bests with a .301 hitting percentage and 317 block assists. She set the UK freshman record for block assists in a season with 130 in her first year. Additionally, Rapp was named to the All-Region NCAA Tournament team in 2009 after leading UK to its first Sweet 16 appearance in nearly 20 years.
Kentucky’s senior is one of just two players from the SEC to earn a nomination among the 30 initial candidates. Tennessee’s Nikki Fowler is the other SEC candidate.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 2010 candidate class includes eight American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Americans from last season. Twenty of the 30 have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. Two of the candidates were recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America as 2009 Academic All-Americans, and 12 are members of teams ranked in the AVCA’s preseason top 25 poll. Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winners during the 2010 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in December.
The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
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