Meredith Schamun Named as Co-C-USA Pre-season Player of the Year
Irving, Texas -- The Rice Owls volleyball team placed a league-high four players on the Conference USA Pre-season Team as selected by the 12 head coaches of C-USA. Furthermore, Rice junior setter Meredith Schamun and Houston's Lucy Charuk were named Co-C-USA Pre-season Volleyball Players of the Year.
Schamun, an All-C-USA first team pick a year ago, was among the NCAA's best as she dished out a C-USA high 11.58 assists per set, which ranked 10th in the nation. The AVCA All-Midwest Region and All-America honorable mention honoree will continue to lead the Owls as they are set to host the 2009 C-USA Championship in November. Teammates Natalie Bogan, Tracey Lam and Ashleigh McCord joined Schamun on the C-USA Preseason Team.
Lam (San Francisco, Calif.) already ranks seventh on C-USA's career list for most digs per set with a 4.81 average. The junior defensive specialist was the only player in the conference that averaged better than 5.0 dps and concluded last season ranked No. 22 in the NCAA with a 5.04 average. The 2008 All-C-USA Libéro of the Year and All-C-USA second teamer also led the conference in total digs (569) and ranked seventh for most service aces per set with a 0.32 average a year ago.
Bogan (Oakland, Calif.) was recognized as a 2008 All-C-USA first team pick after helping the Owls to their second NCAA Championship appearance. With a .348 hitting efficiency, the senior middle blocker finished fifth best in the league. Bogan also owns a career .301 hitting percentage that ranks third-best in school history and 19th-best in C-USA annuals.
An All-C-USA Freshman Team member, McCord (Wylie, Texas) brings additional experience to the court this season as she was a part of the U.S. Women's National A2 Red Team that captured a silver medal at the USA Adult Open Volleyball Championships and was one of 12 players named to the 2009 U.S. Women's Junior National Team. The sophomore outside hitter wrapped up her rookie campaign with averages of 2.77 kps and 0.45 bps.
Rice finished 23-8 in 2008, while earning its second at-large bid to the NCAA Championship. The Owls, under sixth-year head coach Genny Volpe, begin the 2009 season when they host the Mizuno Invitational on Aug. 28-29 in Tudor Fieldhouse on the Rice campus. Rice University will also host the eight-team C-USA Championship Nov. 20-22, 2009.
2009 Conference USA Pre-Season Team
Student-Athlete. School, Pos, Ht., Yr., Hometown
Lucy Charuk, Houston, MB, 6-2, Jr., Tswwassen, British Columbia
Elizabeth Fleming, Marshall, S, 5-10, Jr., South Bend, Ind.
Emily Underwood, Memphis, MB, 6-3, Jr., Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada
Natalie Bogan, Rice, MB, 5-11, Sr., Oakland, Calif.
Tracey Lam, Rice, Libero, 5-6, Jr., San Francisco, Calif.
Ashleigh McCord, Rice, OH, 6-2, So., Wylie, Texas
Meredith Schamun, Rice, S, 5-11, Jr., Murrieta, Calif.
Visnja Djurdjavic, Tulane, OH, 6-1, So., Zitiste, Serbia
Jenn Miller, Tulane, L, 5-9, Sr., San Pedro, Calif.
Jennifer Eichler, Tulsa, OPP, 6-0, Sr., Rapid City, N.D.
Erin Campbell, UCF, OH, 5-11, Sr., Kansas City, Mo.
Amy Sanders, UTEP, OH, 6-1, Jr., El Paso, Texas
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