Hollas Captures Spot on Google Cloud Academic All-America First Team
12/10/2018 11:56:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Junior setter is Ladyjacks' first Academic All-America First Team choice since 1996
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - In a release issued Monday morning by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), SFA volleyball junior setter Ann Hollas was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America First Team.
A Google Cloud Academic All-America Third Team pick in 2017, Hollas' repeat selection as an Academic All-American makes her one of just three players in the history of SFA volleyball to earn multiple Academic All-American honors. Additionally, the Longview, Texas, product is the first Ladyjack in 22 years to collect First Team All-America laurels.
Of the three Southland Conference student-athletes on the 22-woman list, Hollas is the only one to be recognized as a First Team All-American. The setter currently carries a perfect 4.00 GPA in biology and helped the Ladyjacks construct one of the finest seasons in program history in the fall of 2018.
Named the Southland Conference Setter of the Year in mid-November, Hollas also earned a spot on the All-Southland Conference First Team after helping to direct one of the most efficient offenses in the nation. The junior out of Longview, Texas, topped the Ladyjacks' charts by averaging 6.34 assists per set and helped the Ladyjacks' offense hit a collective .239 for the season. That team attack percentage was the second-highest in the Southland and the 54th-best among all NCAA Division I volleyball clubs in 2018.
Hollas' versatility extended well beyond just setting, however, as the six-rotation player also averaged 1.46 kills, 2.67 digs, 0.73 blocks and 0.23 service aces per set for SFA. Her defensive numbers helped the Ladyjacks rank third nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.144), 17th in total blocks (320.5) and 24th in blocks per set (2.67). That versatility helped Hollas post a pair of triple-doubles in 2018 - one against Tennessee State on Sept. 7 (10 kills, 29 assists, 12 digs) and another against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the Southland Conference Tournament on Nov. 16 (10 kills, 20 assists, 10 digs).
Few volleyball teams in the nation enjoyed the success the Ladyjacks did in 2018. SFA finished the year with a 32-3 record which included a perfect 16-0 showing in Southland Conference showdowns. As a result, the Ladyjacks captured the Southland Conference regular season crown - the program's 10th regular season title - before going on to win the Southland Conference Tournament and punch the program's first NCAA Tournament ticket since 2006.
From Saturday, Sept. 1 until Thursday, Nov. 19, the Ladyjacks reeled off a program record and nation-leading 29 consecutive victories that helped the team establish new single-season bests in both total wins (32) and winning percentage (.914).
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