DALLAS -- Four members of the seventh-ranked Texas volleyball team were voted to the All-Big 12 Conference teams, the league announced on Monday. Leticia Armstrong, Brandy Magee and Michelle Moriarty were selected to the 12-player All-Big 12 First Team, while Dariam Acevedo was one of six players who earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades. The league's 11 head coaches voted for the all-conference teams, but could not vote for their own players.
Texas' three representatives on the first team ties league champion Nebraska for most overall.
Nebraska claimed four of the six individual awards, as well. Sophomore opposite hitter Sarah Pavan was the Player of the Year, head coach John Cook was voted Coach of the Year, senior outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year and freshman outside hitter Jordan Larson was Freshman of the Year. Texas Tech junior outside hitter Philister Sang was the Newcomer of the Year, while Missouri sophomore Tatum Ailes was voted Libero of the Year.
Other members of the All-Big 12 First Team included Allie Griffin Colorado senior opposite hitter, Kansas senior middle blocker Josi Lima, Kansas State senior outside hitter Agata Rezende, Missouri senior setter Lindsay Hunter, Missouri junior outside hitter Jessica Vander Kooi, Nebraska senior middle blocker Melissa Elmer, Nebraska sophomore outside hitter Christina Houghtelling, Pavan, and Texas A&M senior outside hitter Laura Jones.
In addition to Acevedo, Colorado junior setter Ashley Nu'u, Iowa State sophomore middle blocker Erin Boeve, Missouri junior middle blocker Nicole Wilson, Larson and Saleaumua were also voted All-Big12 Honorable Mention.
Armstrong, a 6-1 sophomore middle blocker from Elkhart, Ind., makes her first appearance on the all-conference team. In 2005, she was fourth in the Big 12 (conference matches only) in hitting percentage (.373), seventh in blocks per game (1.43), seventh in points per game (4.39) and 10th in kills per game (3.63). She collected double-figure kills in 15 of the 18 league matches in which she played, and had at least six blocks in nine Big 12 contests. Armstrong was also selected as the Co-Big 12 Player of the Week on Oct. 24 for her performances at Texas Tech (match-high 14 kills, 7 blocks in a 3-1 win) and against No. 23 Kansas State (13 kills, 10 blocks for her first career double-double in the 3-1 win).
Magee, a 6-2 junior middle blocker from Mission Viejo, Calif., makes her first appearance on the All-Big 12 First Team after garnering All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors as a sophomore in 2004. Magee was eighth in the Big 12 (conference matches only) in hitting percentage (.345), 14th in blocks per game (1.15), 13th in aces per game (0.31) and 13th in points per game (4.12). Magee had 11 matches with double-figure kills, including three matches with 20 or more kills. Magee also added 10 matches with five or more blocks and seven matches with two aces. Magee also was named Big 12 Co-Player of the Week on Nov. 28 for her performances at Oklahoma (9 kills, five blocks, two aces) and against No. 1 Nebraska in the Horns' upset victory (season-high 22 kills, six blocks). Magee was a 2005 Preseason All-Big 12 selection.
Moriarty, a 5-10 sophomore setter from Houston, Texas, also makes her first appearance on the All-Big 12 First Team after garnering All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors as a freshman in 2004. Moriarty was second in the Big 12 in assists per game (13.62) while leading UT to a .260 hitting percentage in conference matches, the third-best mark in the league. In league play, Moriarty recorded five matches with 60 or more assists, nine matches with 50 or more assists and 16 matches with 40 or more assists while pacing UT to .275 or better hitting in 11 matches, including seven matches of .300 or better. In addition to her performance on the court, the Big 12 also recently recognized Moriarty as an Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection. She is also an ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District performer and is currently on the national ballot for Academic All-America honors.
Acevedo, a 5-10 outside hitter from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, earns her first All-Big 12 honor after being tabbed the 2004 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Acevedo finished the league slate ranked first in aces per game (0.39), sixth in the Big 12 in kills per game (3.91) and sixth in points per game (4.67). Acevedo recorded double-figure kills in 13 league matches, including three 20-plus kill efforts, while collecting double-figure points in all but one Big 12 match. Her total of 29 aces in league play was the best mark in the conference. Acevedo earned her first Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Nov. 7 after standout performances at Texas State (11 kills, 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the season) and against Baylor (career-high 27 kills, .632 hitting percentage and two aces). Before transferring to Texas in 2003, Acevedo was a 2002 honorable mention All-Pac 10 performer as a freshman at Oregon, as well as a member of the Pac-10 all-freshman team.
Acevedo, Armstrong, Magee, Moriarty and the rest of the No. 7 Texas volleyball return to action on Friday, Dec. 2, when they host first and second rounds of the 2005 NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gym. UT will face LSU in the first round on Friday at 7 p.m., immediately following the No. 7 Hawaii-Texas State first-round match at 5 p.m. Winners of the first-round matches will meet on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 6:30 p.m. for the right to advance to the University Park Regional the following weekend, hosted by Penn State.
All-session ticket packages ($6-$18) for the NCAA Tournament matches hosted by Texas this weekend can be purchased in advance at TexasBoxOffice.com or at the Bellmont Hall ticket office on the UT campus. Individual session tickets ($5-$10) will go on sale at the Gregory Gym box office on Friday, Dec. 2.
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