Nov. 19, 2009

IRVING, Texas - After a standout rookie campaign, University of Memphis freshman outside hitter Altrese Hawkins was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team, as voted on by league coaches, the conference office announced today.

"I am very proud of Altrese and the freshman campaign she put together," said Tiger volleyball head coach April Jauregui. "We saw the full benefit of red-shirting her last season. The training really paid off. The future is very bright for Altrese and for this team and program. This spring will be a test to push her limits. She can and will be a top player in C-USA for the remainder of her career as a Tiger."

Hawkins was the driving force behind Memphis' offense, leading the club with 335 kills and a .282 attack percentage. She is just the sixth Tiger freshman to ever reach 300 kills in a season and ranks fourth on Memphis' freshman kills ledger. Hawkins, who played in all 108 sets this year, hit .289 with a team-best 182 kills in C-USA play and averaged more than three kills per set. The Schaumburg, Ill., native reached double-figures in kills 18 times, while downing 10 or more kills in 10 of Memphis' C-USA matches, including each of the first five league contests. Hawkins highlighted her season by recording the third-most kills by a freshman in Memphis history when she connected for a career-best 25 kills and hit .429 vs. UT Martin on October 13. Hawkins, who tallied 20 or more kills three times in her rookie season, also posted 21 kills and a robust .581 attack percentage in a win over East Carolina on November 6.

Tulane sophomore Visnja Djurdjevic, who won C-USA Freshman and Newcomer of the Year honors in 2008, and Tulsa senior Jennifer Eichler were named Co-C-USA Players of the Year. Meredith Schamun, of Rice, and Southern Miss' Kelsea Seymour share the league's Setter of the Year award. For the second-straight year, Rice's Tracey Lam has been voted C-USA Libero of the Year, while UAB's Michelle Uzoh is the league's Newcomer of the Year honoree. Tulsa's freshman phenom Tyler Henderson was selected as the Freshman of the Year.

After leading his club to the C-USA regular season crown, Ricci Luyties was a unanimous vote for C-USA Coach of the Year award. Luyties guided the Golden Eagles to a 14-2 C-USA record and a 26-4 overall mark. The 14 league wins mark a program best and an improvement from its 7-9 record and seventh-place finish from a year ago.

The 2009 C-USA Volleyball Championship will be hosted by Rice University inside Tudor Fieldhouse. Quarterfinal action is set for Friday, Nov. 20 starting at 12 p.m. CT. The semifinal matches are slated for Saturday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., with the Championship match set for Sunday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. live on CBS College Sports.

The following is a list of all-conference honorees and specialty award winners for the 2009 C-USA volleyball season.

2009 CONFERENCE USA VOLLEYBALL POSTSEASON AWARD WINNERS
ALL-C-USA HONOREES
First Team
Emily Sullivan, Marshall
Natalie Bogan, Rice
Tracey Lam, Rice
Ashleigh McCord, Rice
Meredith Schamun, Rice
Angela Hlavaty, Southern Miss
Ashley Mell, Southern Miss
Kelsea Seymour, Southern Miss
Visnja Djurdjevic, Tulane
Jennifer Eichler, Tulsa
Tyler Henderson, Tulsa

Second Team
Kinsey Cave, Houston
Elizabeth Fleming, Marshall
Kendra Kahanek, SMU
Dana Powell, SMU
Maia Ivanova, Southern Miss
Rachel Lindelow, Tulane
Ksenija Vlaskovic, Tulane
Jessica Adams, Tulsa
Julia Kenealy, Tulsa
Hannah Stout, Tulsa
Erin Campbell, UCF

ALL FRESHMAN TEAM
Jasmine Terry, Houston
Altrese Hawkins, Memphis
Nancy Cole, Rice
Marija Milosavljevic, Tulane
Jessica Adams, Tulsa
Tyler Henderson, Tulsa
Sam Serley, UAB

INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
Co-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Visnja Djurdjevic, Tulane
Jennifer Eichler, Tulsa

Co-SETTERS OF THE YEAR
Meredith Schamun, Rice
Kelsea Seymour, Southern Miss

LIBERO OF THE YEAR
Tracey Lam, Rice

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Michelle Uzoh, UAB

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Tyler Henderson, Tulsa

COACH OF THE YEAR
Ricci Luyties, Southern Miss