Chloe Smith Named Toyota/Southland Conference Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Year
Smith is the first player in league history in any sport to be named both the conference player of the year and student-athlete of the year three times
FRISCO, Texas – Central Arkansas senior Chloe Smith was named the Toyota/Southland Conference Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Year, the league office announced Thursday in conjunction with the release of the All-Academic Volleyball Teams.
Smith, a native of San Diego, Calif., is the first player in Southland history in any sport to be named both the conference player of the year and student-athlete of the year three times. A three-time CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI selection, Smith maintains a 3.92 grade-point average in digital filmmaking. In UCA’s first year of postseason eligibility, Smith led the Sugar Bears to their second consecutive regular-season title and first No. 1 seed in the Southland tournament. Smith ranked second in the league in kills (433), 11th in hitting percentage (.269) and leaves her collegiate career as the all-time kills leader at UCA (1,689).
The Southland Conference awards committee, which consists of one administrator from each of the 12 member universities, voted for the student-athlete of the year. The Southland student-athlete of the year award is presented to the one student-athlete who achieves excellence in both academics and athletics. All nominees shall have earned at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale, and demonstrated athletics achievement for at least two years at the nominating institution.
UT Arlington led all teams with four all-academic selections with two first-team and second-team members. Central Arkansas, Stephen F. Austin and UTSA have three selections, McNeese State and Sam Houston State have two and Nicholls has one.
Automatic selections include CoSIDA members and those who received first-team all-conference honors. This year, eight members on the first-team all-academic squad were automatic selections leaving 10 open positions to be filled by vote.
The Southland had four CoSIDA selections. Joining Smith on the CoSIDA team was first-team selection Stephen F. Austin sophomore Sabrina Burns. SFA sophomore Madison Hanlan received second-team honors and McNeese State sophomore Whitney Ellisor received third-team recognition.
The four remaining automatic selections were first-team all-conference members – Central Arkansas junior Jessica Hays, UTSA senior Kendra Rowland and juniors Kelsey Jewasko and Kelsey Schwirtlich.
Nine members are returning all-academic selections.
Smith, Rowland and UT Arlington senior Christy Driscoll led all players with their third consecutive all-academic appearance. Hays, Jewasko, Central Arkansas junior Cristin Curl, UT Arlington senior Bianca Sauls, junior Tara Frantz and Sam Houston State junior Kym Loving each make their second all-academic appearance.
Among the 18 student-athletes selected for academic recognition, 15 have GPAs of 3.5 or higher. Burns and Hanlan led all players with a 4.00 GPA.
The All-Academic teams are voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors and academic/compliance administrators from each Southland Conference university. Student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution and participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s competition to qualify for the all-academic squad.
Included in Toyota’s support of the Southland Conference Academic Awards Program is the F.L. McDonald Postgraduate Scholarship, the All-Academic Teams, the Student-Athlete of the Year, the Scholar-Athlete award and the Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
2010 Southland Conference Volleyball All-Academic TeamsFirst Team
NameUniversityCl.PositionHometownGPAMajor
Chloe Smith^,%,1,3Central ArkansasSr.Outside HitterSan Diego, Calif.3.92Digital Filmmaking
Jessica Hays1,2Central ArkansasJr.Outside HitterFriendswood, Texas3.43Family and Consumer Sciences
Whitney Ellisor%,1McNeese StateSo.Libero/DSDeer Park, Texas3.86Math
Sabrina Burns%,1Stephen F. AustinSo.Middle BlockerMcAlester, Okla.4.00Accounting
Madison Hanlan%,1Stephen F. AustinSo.LiberoArlington, Texas4.00Biology
Kelsey Jewasko1,2UTSAJr.LiberoSan Antonio, Texas3.90Interdisciplinary Studies
Kendra Rowland1,3UTSASr.Outside HitterAntioch, Calif.3.59Communication
Kelsey Schwirtlich1UTSAJr.SetterCorpus Christi, Texas3.90Mechanical Engineering
Cristin Curl2Central ArkansasJr.LiberoAmarillo, Texas3.76Management
Bianca Sauls2UT ArlingtonSr.Outside HitterPflugerville, Texas3.69Broadcast Communication
Christy Driscoll3UT ArlingtonSr.Middle BlockerKeller, Texas3.95Exercise Science
Danielle DaigleNichollsJr.LiberoNapoleonville, La.3.37Communication Disorders
Second Team
Alicia ShafferUT ArlingtonJr.LiberoMagnolia, Texas3.52Social Work
Kym Loving2Sam Houston StateJr.SetterHouston, Texas3.62Finance
Allison GideonStephen F. AustinSo.SetterGeorgetown, Texas3.83Psychology
Erin HuckabayMcNeese StateSr.Middle BlockerOmaha, Texas3.53Biology
Kaylee HawkinsSam Houston StateSo.Outside Hitter/LDickinson, Texas3.34Accounting
Tara Frantz2UT ArlingtonJr.Outside HitterSanta Fe, Texas3.61Kinesiology
^2010 Southland Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Year
%CoSIDA Academic All-District
1Automatic all-academic selection
2Two-time all-academic selection
3Three-time all-academic selection
