Nov. 10, 2009
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Five members of the University of Kentucky volleyball team were selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV team. Senior Sarah Rumely was named to the first team and senior BriAnne Sauer, juniors Lauren Rapp and Laura Stokowski and sophomore Gretchen Giesler were named to the third team.
This marks the third consecutive season that Sauer and Rumely have earned Academic All-District team honors. Rapp and Stokowski are repeats on the ballot for the second straight season. This marks the first such honor of Giesler’s career.
Rumely will advance to the national ballot for the Academic All-America team, which will be announced in December. To be nominated for the Academic All-America process, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.30, be a sophomore or higher in academic and athletic standing, and be a starter or key reserve. The Academic All-District IV team is comprised of players from the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.
Rumely (New Palestine, Ind.) has started all 26 matches this season in helping UK to a 24-2 overall clip. The setter leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks among the top-10 nationally with 11.85 assists per set. She recently set the school record for career aces and has totaled 162 for her career. Rumely also sits just 68 assists shy of breaking the school record for career assists. The four-year starter is a kinesiology major and holds a 3.63 grade point average.
Sauer (Louisville, Ky.) has started as the team’s libero in every match in each of the last two seasons. Sauer currently leads the SEC in league games with 5.22 digs per set. Her 429 digs for the year is the 10th most accumulated in a season in school history. Furthermore, Sauer is a mere 17 digs shy of becoming just the second player in school history to amass over 1,500 digs. Sauer is an elementary education major and possesses a 3.62 grade point average.
Rapp (Indianapolis, Ind.) has started every match of her three-year career for the Blue and White. This season she ranks second on the squad with an average of 2.43 kills per set on a career-best .307 hitting percentage. She needs just six more block assists to break into the school’s all-time record books in that category as she currently has tallied 290 rejections in her career. Rapp is also an elementary education major and she holds a 3.86 grade point average.
Stokowski (Aurora, Ill.) is an integral part in the UK rotation as she plays in the back-line defense for half of UK’s rotation. Stokowski has thrived in this role in each of the last two seasons for the Blue and White. She has tallied 158 digs for the season for an average of 1.68 digs per set. In each of her three seasons she has posted over one dig per set. Stokowski is a marketing major and possesses a 3.44 grade point average.
Giesler (St. Charles, Ill.) has enjoyed a break-out season in his first season as a starter at middle blocker for the Wildcats. Giesler ranks second in the SEC with a .371 hitting percentage while also pacing UK’s defense with 1.02 blocks per set. She set a career-high with 13 kills in a UK victory over Alabama and has three times tallied seven blocks in a match. Giesler is a mechanical engineering major and holds a 3.42 grade point average.
The Wildcats will hit the road for the final two-match road swing of the regular season. The Blue and White first travel to Georgia on Friday, Nov. 13 for a 7 p.m. ET match. UK will then take on Auburn on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2:30 p.m.
For the most up-to-date news, highlights and features about the Kentucky volleyball team please visit UKathletics.com.
