Olga Strantzali Named 2017 ACC Player of the Year
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami senior outside hitter Olga Strantzali was named the 2017 ACC Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year, while Strantzali and redshirt junior setter Haley Templeton were selected to the 14-player All-ACC First Team, as announced by the ACC on Monday.
Strantzali becomes the third player in program history to earn the highest individual honor in ACC Volleyball, joining Lane Carico (2011) and Savanah Leaf (2014). Strantzali earned her third All-ACC recognition after posting 465 kills in the regular season, leading the conference in kills per set with 4.56. She had 39 service aces and 42 blocks to accumulate 528 points in 102 sets played, an average of 5.18 points per set. No other player in the ACC had an average of 5.0 points or higher. She also broke Miami’s school record for kill in a match when she tallied 33 in a four-set victory over Louisville on Oct. 20.
Templeton earns her first First Team All-ACC recognition after Second Team honors in 2014 and 2015. She and Strantzali lived up to the expectations this season after being named Preseason All-ACC for the third time in their career in August. Over the course of the 2017 season, each earned two ACC Player of the Week honors, making Miami the only team in the conference with as many as four Player of the Week awards.
“I’m excited for Olga and Haley, that’s a big deal,” Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara said. “The conference had a lot of good players and I think they deserve the recognition. It was important to them and to all of us. They put in the work and are solid players who belong in that group.
Templeton is enjoying a tremendous return as the conductor of Miami’s offense after missing most of 2016 with an injury. The 2014 ACC Freshman of the Year led the conference with 10.73 assists per set, ranking ahead of ACC Setter of the Year Wilma Rivera (10.66) from Louisville and fellow first team selection Kamalani Akeo of Pittsburgh (10.72). Templeton is also an excellent attack from the setter position, averaging nearly a kill per set in the regular season for a total of 94. She also accumulated 29 aces – including 15 in the last three matches to help the Canes their current win streak to six matches – and 52 blocks for a total of 150 points. Templeton’s eight service aces in Miami’s five-set win at Virginia on Nov. 17 are the second-most in a single match in program history.
“Haley has probably had her best year of her career to this point and Olga has been consistent for a couple of years,” Gandara said. “It’s awesome that they both got recognized because they clearly had a huge impact on the success of the team.
“Those two girls have a good understanding of our strengths and weaknesses and they value their teammates, and what their teammates do for the team. They know their load and their responsibilities.”
Strantzali and Templeton’s season will continue later this week, when Miami will begin its ninth NCAA tournament appearance in program history. The Hurricanes will face the College of Charleston Thursday at 4:30 p.m., in Gainesville, Fla.
For a full list of the 2017 All-ACC volleyball honors, click here.
