Three Ladyjacks Named All-SLC
11/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 14, 2012
FRISCO, Texas - Sophomore outside hitter Jill Ivy was named to the all-Southland Conference first team and seniors Madison Hanlan and Sabrina Burnsearned second team honors after league officials announced the selections on Wednesday.
Ivy is the first Ladyjack to score a spot on the league's all-conference first team since Ashley Baileyin 2009 and gives SFA 31 first team selections under head coach Debbie Humphreys' watch. Meanwhile, it was the second consecutive season Hanlan has earned a second-team nod while Burns' honor was the first of her career.
Freshman outside hitter Tori Bateswas also named to the honorable mention list.
"It is nice to see all of them recognized for all of the hard work that they have put in this year and for helping us turn things around this season," Humphreys said. "The good thing about all-conference awards is that we cannot vote for our own players, so it is obvious that each of them made a positive impression on those around the league."
Ivy was SFA's primary offensive weapon this year and was a preseason all-Southland Conference first team choice. She led SFA in kills with 3.03 kills per set, 3.06 per set in league play, and hit .191 for the year.
She hit for at least 10 kills in 24 of SFA's 32 matches on the season and had at least 20 kills in a pair of matches, including a career-high 22 in a win over Nicholls. She is the first Ladyjack to have at least 20 kills in multiple matches in a season since 2006.
Hanlan backed up her second team all-conference selection as a junior with another nod as a senior. She enters this weekend's Southand Conference Tournament ranking third in the league in digs with 4.75 per set and has twice been named the league's defensive player of the week. Earlier this season she moved into second all-time at SFA in digs and is one of just two Ladyjacks to ever total more than 2,000 digs in her career.
She had at least 10 digs in 27 matches this year, and set a new SFA record with 47 digs in a win over Nicholls. That mark is the second most of any player in the nation this season and the most by any Southland player since 2006.
Burns managed to put up another solid year as a senior, putting up a career high with 2.49 kills per set and leading the team with a .236 attack percentage. She averaged just under a block per set and played in all but one set on the year. The native of McAlester, Okla., had a career high 20 kills in a win earlier this season over Nicholls and even moved into the all-time top 10 in blocks at SFA earlier this season and enters this weekend with 374 for her career.
Bates turned in a solid freshman campaign, ranking third on the team with an average of 2.34 kills and 1.88 digs per set while hitting .147. She led the team with 0.33 aces per set and also averaged 0.55 blocks.
The trio will lead SFA into the Southland Conference Tournament this weekend in Conway, Ark. The Ladyjacks enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed and will take on No. 4 Northwestern State in the opening round.
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