Dec. 13, 2012
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Senior Ashley Frazier earned first-team All-America honors as selected by the Senior CLASS award it was announced on Thursday afternoon. She is the first Kentucky player in program history to earn recognition as an All-America selection by the Senior CLASS committee.
“Ashley encompasses the whole aspect of a student-athlete,” UK coach Craig Skinner said. “We are proud of all that she has achieved both on and off the court during her time at Kentucky.”
To earn eligibility for All-America distinction a student-athlete must be a finalist for the Senior CLASS award who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the 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 award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring.
Frazier earned a 3.9 GPA with a Business Administration in Management and Marketing degree in May 2012. She has begun work on her MBA this fall. She is a four-time All-SEC Academic team member, a three-time athletic director’s honor roll honoree, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District first team selection, and a three-time Dean’s List member.
Her career aspiration is to work in marketing for a professional sports team organization following a professional volleyball career. She worked at IMG as an intern where she helped with sponsorship activation at men’s basketball games. She also helped put together year-in-review portfolios for sponsorships, helped with administrative duties in the office, and was able to be a part of marketing plan meetings following the UK men’s basketball national championship on ways to capitalize on that victory.
The Oregon, Ohio, native has volunteered a number of hours with various organizations since becoming a college athlete. She has helped out with animal shelters, nursing homes, children’s hospitals, God’s Pantry, homeless shelters and helped with an initiative that provided presents to underprivileged children during the Holiday Season. On the court, Frazier was a dynamic outside hitter for three seasons for the Wildcats.
During her senior campaign she became the 15th player in UK history to amass more than 1,000 career kills on Sept. 23. She twice logged career-high 20 kills in a match in 2012 including at No. 1 Nebraska. She logged 17 matches with 10 or more hammers and led the team in kills on 10 occasions.
Frazier was a 2011 All-Region Tournament team selection, a two-time All-SEC team member and an SEC Player of the Week. She played two years at Alabama before transferring to Kentucky, where as a sophomore she had 20 kills against South Carolina en route to earning SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors as well as the and Collegiate Volleyball Update National Player of the Week.
Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the UK volleyball team. For additional coverage of the volleyball squad be sure and check out CatScratchesBlog.com/volleyball.
2012 Volleyball Senior CLASS award
Winner – Gina Mancuso, Nebraska
First-Team All-Americans
Alaina Bergsma, Oregon
Ashley Frazier, Kentucky
Rachel Iaquaniello, Eastern Michigan
Gina Mancuso, Nebraska
Ariel Turner, Purdue
Second-Team All-Americans
Dana Cranston, Colorado State
Altrese Hawkins, Memphis
Rachael Kidder, UCLA
Rachel Krabacher, Dayton
Sam Serley, UAB
