WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – For the second straight year Williams volleyball standouts Kate Anderson (Berlin, MA) and Nicole Ballon-Landa (La Jolla, CA) have been named to the ESPN District I All-Academic Teams. A year ago the junior duo was named to the District I First Team. This year Anderson was accorded First Team honors, while Ballon-Landa was a Second Team honoree.
Both Anderson, an opposite, and Ballon-Landa, a middle blocker are double majors and captains of this year's 16-12 Eph team that is seeded sixth in the NESCAC Tournament that begins tonight in Amherst. Williams is in search of their fourth consecutive NESCAC title and will take on third-seeded Bowdoin at 8:00 p.m. The Williams seniors are 95-42, .693, heading into tonight's match.
To earn recognition as an All-Academic District Team member the student-athlete must possess at least a 3.35 cumulative GPA, be at least a sophomore in academic standing and be voted on by the District's sports information directors. Anderson majors in biology and sociology, while Ballon-Landa majors in mathematics and psychology.
By virtue of earning First Team honors, Kate Anderson will now appear on the ESPN Academic All-America ballot.
"I'm very proud of Kate and Nicole repeating as members of the ESPN District I All-Academic team, " said Eph head coach Christi Kelsey. "These two work extremely hard both on and off the court and they are great examples of what it truly means to be a Division III athlete by balancing and excelling academically and athletically. Our entire program values both components of being a student and an athlete and it is a tremendous honor for Kate and Nicole to represent Williams volleyball for this award."
Kate Anderson's Williams volleyball resume to date:
2010: Matches Played/Started ...27 / 27 ...Sets Played ...95 ...Kills/Kills Avg ...355 / 3.74 ...Hitting % ....256 ...Assists/Assists Avg ...3 / 0.03 ...Service Aces/Service Ace Avg. ...20 / 0.21 ...Block Solo/Block Assist/Total Blocks/Blocks Avg ...15 / 33 / 48 / 0.51 ...Digs/Digs Avg ...253 / 2.66 ...2009 ESPN District I All-Academic Team…2009 ranked 6th nationally in kills/set with 4.62...2008 Honorable Mention AVCA All-American, 2-time 1st Team All-NESCAC, 2008 1st Team AVCA All-New England... 2-time Academic All-NESCAC... has 1,338 career kills, 29 assists, 65 aces, 734 digs, 47 solo blocks and 219 block assists... 4-year letter winner who has played in 121 matches and 401 sets.
Nicole Ballon-Landa's Williams volleyball resume to date:
2010: Matches Played/Started ...28 / 28 ...Sets Played ...103 ...Kills/Kills Avg ...226 / 2.19 ...Hitting % ....334 ...Assists/Assists Avg ...17 / 0.17 ...Service Aces/Service Ace Avg. ...11 / 0.11 ...Block Solo/Block Assist/Total Blocks/Blocks Avg ...11 / 39 / 50 / 0.49 ...Digs/Digs Avg ...53 / 0.51 ...2009 ESPN District I All-Academic Team…2009 + 2008 Honorable Mention AVCA All-American, 1st Team AVCA All-New England and 1st Team All-NESCAC... 2007 NESCAC Rookie of the Year and 2nd Team All-NESCAC... 2-time Academic All-NESCAC... has played in 133 matches and 482 sets for an Eph team that has made 3 straight NCAA Tournaments... has 1,248 career kills, 42 assists, 63 aces, 231 digs, 76 solo blocks, 328 block assists.
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| Nicole Ballon-Landa '11 |
