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Nov. 30, 2009

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The good news just keeps rolling in for the University of Tennessee volleyball team, as a school record-tying five different players earned All-Southeastern Conference honors on Monday, highlighted by senior Chloe Goldman who was named the league's libero of the year.

Goldman also claimed a spot on the All-SEC First Team alongside junior Nikki Fowler, while senior Farren Powe and sophomore Kayla Jeter earned second-team honors and Leslie Cikra was named to the all-freshman squad. The accolades come just hours after the Lady Vols earned a ranking of No. 24 in the nation in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association poll of the 2009 regular season.

"I am absolutely thrilled that these five young women have been recognized for their achievements this season," UT Head Coach Rob Patrick said. "Each one of them has played a critical role in the success we've been able to have so far this year, not just individually, but as a group. They have each brought something unique to our team, helping us accomplish as much as we have with 23 wins and a school-record 16 SEC victories. I could not be more proud of them."

The All-SEC laurels are firsts for Goldman, Powe, Jeter and Cikra, while they mark the third for Fowler who was tabbed the league's freshman of the year in 2007 and was the only unanimous selection to the 2008 All-SEC First Team. The Lady Vols also had five players earn all-conference honors in 1982, 2004 and 2005.

Goldman becomes just the third player in UT history to pick up a postseason player of the year award, matching the feat previously accomplished by Fowler and 2005 SEC Defensive Player of the Year Amy Morris. The Monterey, Calif., native led the SEC with 537 digs and 4.75 digs per set this season and became the all-time Tennessee career digs leader on Oct. 16, breaking the previous record of 1,474. She now has a four-year total of 1,724 which places her in a tie for fifth on the SEC career digs chart.

The three-year starter at libero also holds a commanding lead on the Lady Vol digs per set chart with a four-year average of 4.35. The next closest player is Morris, who averaged 4.01 scoops during her UT career. Goldman is the only player in Tennessee history to record 500 digs in three consecutive seasons and holds the three-highest single-season dig totals in UT history.

Following a 27-dig performance in Tennessee's 3-2 triumph over No. 10 Kentucky in its regular-season finale, she now has 82 career matches with double-digit dig totals, 36 with 20 or more digs and seven with 30+ scoops. Goldman led the Big Orange in digs in 25 of its 30 matches in 2009 and has been its most consistent passer, passing at a .980 clip with just 15 reception errors in 744 attempts. She was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season and has six for her career, the second-most in conference history.

"I am especially proud of Chloe," Patrick said. "She is a perfect example of a player that sets a goal and works as hard as she can to achieve it. Since she first stepped foot on campus, she has always wanted to be the best libero in the SEC. Since then, she has taken every bit of coaching we've given her and applied it to a great work ethic, not only in our practices, but individually as well. She has put in countless hours of extra time in the gym to become the best player that she could possibly be. I'm glad that the coaches in our conference realized what a huge role she has played for us both this season and her entire career."

Fowler joins Florida's Kelly Murphy, LSU's Brittnee Cooper and Sarah Rumely of Kentucky as repeat selections to the All-SEC First Team. The Dallas, Texas, native finished the regular season with 14 consecutive double-doubles, increasing her season total to 17 and her career mark to 35. She currently leads UT with 431 kills and 1,188 attacks, ranks second with 373 digs and third with 100 blocks during the 2009 campaign.

The first player in SEC history to be named Offensive Player of the Week four times in one season, including three weeks in a row, Fowler has won the award seven times in the past two seasons, tying her for the most in a career with Florida's Aury Cruz. The 6-2 outside hitter led UT in kills in 21 of 30 regular-season matches in 2009, paced the team in blocks six times and digs on five occasions. She also topped 20 kills in a match five times this season and ranks 13th on the Lady Vols' all-time career kills list (1,228) second in attacks per set (9.88), sixth in kills per set (3.56), eighth in digs per set (2.70) and ninth in total attacks (3,408). Fowler's accomplishments aren't limited to the hardwood, however, as she has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV First Team for the second straight season.

"It's exciting to have a player like Nikki on our team that can just stuff the stat sheet with every imaginable volleyball skill," Patrick said. "She is someone that every team we play against has to try to identify when they are setting up a game plan. Even with that amount of attention being paid to her since her freshman year, she has still been able to be extremely successful in every single phase of the game. We are thrilled that we have her for another season."

In just her second year at Rocky Top, Jeter has blossomed into one of the most effective attackers in the conference. The Solon, Ohio, product currently ranks second on UT roster with 328 kills and 2.88 kills per set. She was named the SEC Player of the Week earlier this afternoon after blasting out career-high 23 kills and hitting .422 in victory over No. 10 Kentucky last Wednesday.

Jeter has led the Lady Vols in kills in eight matches, in blocks on two occasions and finished the regular season ranked ninth and 10th in the SEC, respectively, with an average of 3.27 kills per set and a .287 attack average in league matches. Since conference play began on Sept. 18, she has increased her kills per set average by over a kill per frame, going from 1.85 to 2.88, and her hitting percentage by nearly 100 points (.157 to .256).

"Kayla Jeter might be the most improved player in the conference," Patrick said. "She was really just starting to get her feet wet at the beginning of the season, but started to become more consistent and came on very strong at about the halfway point of the year. Since then, she's become another deadly weapon at our disposal and teams have had to start game planning to find a way to slow her down. Although she was just a front-row player for most of the season, she has become an extremely effective six-rotation player for us since we switched from a 6-2 to a 5-1. We've asked her to shoulder a large load over the past couple of weeks and she has done a tremendous job stepping up to the challenge."

Also picking up All-SEC Second Team honors for the first time in her career was Powe. A year after leading the conference in hitting percentage, the 6-1 middle blocker from Mobile, Ala., finished the 2009 campaign ranked eighth with a .306 attack average during SEC play. She also placed sixth with an average of 1.17 blocks per set in league contest. Overall, Powe finished the regular season with 193 kills and 131 blocks, including a squad-best 18 solo putbacks.

"Farren has had a very quiet, but extremely successful season," Patrick said. "Even though her hitting numbers might be down a little from last year, she has still been able to affect other teams by providing a strong presence at the net, both blocking and hitting. Teams have to account for her offensively and defensively in every single match and that really helps to open up our offense for Nikki and Kayla."

A rookie from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Cikra was tabbed to the All-SEC Freshman Team after posting 152 kills in 30 matches, including 24 starts. She also tallied 45 blocks and 33 digs during her first year at Tennessee. A 6-3 outside hitter/middle blocker, Cikra has reached double-digits in kills four times, topping out at 14 versus Western Kentucky on Aug. 29.

"I was extremely excited to find out the Leslie was recognized on the All-Freshman Team," Patrick said. "She came into this season having never played outside hitter or right side during her high school or club careers and has had to make the transition on the fly. Despite that, she has still been very effective in putting up a huge block and getting some timely kills for us."

The Lady Vols will open up the postseason portion of their schedule this weekend when they host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Thompson-Boling Arena, Dec. 4-5. Following a 5 p.m. meeting between No. 11 and 13th-seeded Minnesota and Louisville on Friday, the Big Orange will square off with Duke at 7 p.m. in a rematch of a 2006 NCAA Tournament First Round contest. The winners of both matches will then advance to a second-round showdown at 7 p.m. on Saturday.