UM Volleyball Announces 2007 Awards
Feb. 7, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team recently held its annual end-of-the-season banquet for the 2007 season where awards were handed out for the team’s accomplishments on and off the court this past fall. In addition to recognizing the two seniors on the team for their career accomplishments at UM, seven student-athletes were selected by the coaching staff and fellow teammates for various awards.
The annual awards given out included the team’s Most Valuable Player, the Most Inspirational Player, the 100% Award, the Unsung Hero, the Most Improved Player and the Academic Award.
Most Valuable Player
Sophomore outside hitter Genny Mayhew was voted on as the team’s Most Valuable Player for her play during the 2007 season. Mayhew, a native of Clovis, Calif., led the Hurricanes and ranked ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 428 kills on the season. She was consistently UM’s go-to player offensively, leading the team in kills in 16 of the team’s 22 ACC matches. Mayhew finished the season with nine of the team’s Top 10 kill totals, including a career-high 26 kills at Virginia Tech, Sept. 20. On November 3 in a 3-0 win over Wake Forest, Mayhew set a school record for kills in a three-game match, recording 25 on 38 attempts while committing just one error. In addition to her contributions offensively, Mayhew was fourth on the team in digs (224) and tied for fifth in total blocks (43).
Most Inspirational Player
Senior middle blocker Ciara Michel was voted on as the team’s Most Inspirational Player in 2007. This award is given to the player who most inspires her teammates to be the best players and people they can be. Michel, who was also honored along with fellow senior Michelle Bruin for their accomplishments on and off the court in their careers at UM, leaves as the program’s all-time block leader with 573 in her four seasons in Coral Gables. She led the Hurricanes in blocks in each of her four seasons and also finished with 962 kills in her career, the fifth-most in school history.
100% Award
Freshman setter Katie Gallagher was awarded the team’s 100% Award for the player who exemplifies 100% dedication day in and day out. Gallagher made an immediate impact at UM, recording a triple-double in just her second collegiate game at UM, finishing with 40 assists, 19 digs a school-record 11 service aces against Jacksonville, Aug. 25. She finished the season with 1,243 assists, the most by a freshman in school history and the third-highest total overall. Gallagher also set a school record for aces in a season, finishing with 67, shattering the previous mark of 48 set by Valeria Tipiana in 2004.
Unsung Hero
Junior middle blocker Angelica Ellis and freshman outside hitter Maria Andersson were named co-winners for the team’s Unsung Hero award, given to the player(s) who demonstrated a hard work ethic but whose efforts may have gone unnoticed throughout the season. Ellis finished the season as one of two Hurricanes, along with Bridget Bomhack, to record at least 100 kills, 20 aces and 50 blocks. Andersson also provided a spark for the `Canes in her first season in the program, ranking fourth on the team in kills (187), fifth in aces (19) and sixth in digs (195).
Most Improved Player
Freshman defensive specialist Tatiana Alvarez was voted on as the team’s Most Improved Player, an honor given to the player who made the biggest improvement thoughout the course of the season. Alvarez, who after playing in just five of the team’s first 18 contests, earned more playing time as the season progressed, seeing action in six of the team’s final 13 matches, all against ACC opponents.
Academic Award
Sophomore defensive specialist Griffin Udelson earned the team’s Academic Award, given to the player with the highest GPA over the course of two semesters last year. Udelson, a Biology major, earned a 3.697 GPA last spring, a 3.736 GPA during the fall and owns a cumulative GPA of 3.709. She saw action in 18 games this past season, including 3-of-4 games against Virginia, Oct. 26.
2007 UM Volleyball Team Awards
MVP: Genny Mayhew
Most Inspirational: Ciara Michel
100% Award: Katie Gallagher
Unsung Hero: Angelica Ellis/Maria Andersson
Most Improved: Tatiana Alvarez
Academic Award: Griffin Udelson
