Nov. 26, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format

IRVING, Texas -- Sarah Pavan (Nebraska) has been named the Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Year for a conference-record third time. She becomes the first player in league history to earn four different individual awards in a career -- player of the year (2005-07) and freshman of the year (2004).

Other individual winners include Coach of the Year Jerritt Elliott (Texas), Newcomer of the Year Nataly Korobkova (Kansas State), and Freshman of the Year Juliann Faucette (Texas). Angie Lastra (Kansas State) and Christina Houghtelling (Nebraska) were tabbed Libero and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.

The All-Big 12 awards are selected by the league's head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players.

Pavan, the only current four-time All-Big 12 First Team performer, led the second-ranked Huskers to a 19-1 conference record (27-1 overall) and a share of the league crown. The Kitchener, Ontario right-side hitter has paced the conference in kills, points and service aces overall and in Big 12 action during the regular season. In league play, she averaged 5.95 points, 4.95 kills and 0.58 service aces while compiling five of her six double-doubles this season. Pavan`s career accomplishments include being named the AVCA Player of the Year, ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America of the Year, and Honda Broderick Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year in 2006 after guiding the Huskers to their third national championship. She also has tallied three AVCA All-America honors.

Elliott receives his second postseason Big 12 coaching accolade (2004, `07). He led the third-ranked Longhorns to their first conference title in 10 years after posting a 19-1 mark. UT has won 24 of its last 25 matches, while sweeping 12 of its last 14 opponents. The Longhorns are 13-0 at home this season, and have won 52 of their last 56 matches at Gregory Gym dating back to 2003. A sweep of former No. 1 Nebraska, which snapped the defending national champion's 29-match winning streak, highlighted the Longhorns' regular season. UT became the first team since 1997 to defeat the Huskers 3-0 in Big 12 play. Overall, Elliott's squad is 24-3 with its only losses coming to No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Penn State (twice). The Longhorns have been ranked nationally in the top seven of the CSTV/AVCA Coaches poll all season. Texas will make its 24th appearance in the NCAA Championship field this weekend.

Korobkova started the season as the Preseason Newcomer of the Year and earned the postseason honor as well. She has sparked the 12th-ranked Wildcats offensively with 470 kills in her first season with K-State. She averaged 4.33 kills per game in Big 12 action to rank sixth in the conference. The former Russian Junior National team member also posted 5.27 points and 0.36 service aces per game, finishing fifth in both categories in conference-only statistics.

Faucette, the 2007 Preseason Freshman of the Year, averaged the second-most kills (4.85) and points (5.52) in conference matches behind Pavan. She is the only freshman to be ranked amongst the top 10 in kills and points. Faucette received the Big 12 Player of the Week honor twice during her rookie campaign (Sept. 17, Oct. 22). The San Diego native has also registered seven double-doubles so far this season. It marks the second straight year that a Longhorn has received this honor (Ashley Engle).

Lastra claims the second Libero of the Year award of her career -- she also won the honor in 2004 during her freshman season at KSU. An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, Lastra was the digs leader in conference matches with a 5.08 average. She has surpassed the Big 12 record for career digs with 1,990. She has recorded 533 digs in `07 to mark the third most in a season in school history.

Houghtelling, who sat out the 2006 season after an injury, captures the first postseason individual award of her career. The Cambridge, Neb. native posted 4.14 digs per game in Big 12 play and is the only outside hitter to rank in the top 10 (seventh) in a category dominated by liberos. Houghtelling also averaged 0.61 blocks in league matches, in addition to recording the seventh-most digs per game in all matches (4.05) while averaging 0.58 blocks. The 2005 AVCA National Player of the Year helped Nebraska hold its conference opponents to a .149 hitting percentage.

UT posted a league-high six All-Big 12 selections -- five on the first team and one on the second. In addition to Pavan's four first team all-conference accolades; Michelle Moriarty (Texas) is also being honored for the fourth time (first team: 2005, `07; honorable mention: `04, `06). Erin Boeve (Iowa State), Jordan Larson (Nebraska) and Brandy Magee (Texas) become three-time All-Big 12 honorees. Two-time all-conference winners include Rachel Holloway, Houghtelling, Tracy Stalls (Nebraska); Engle and Destinee Hooker (Texas).

Player of the Year: Sarah Pavan, Nebraska, RS, 6-5, Sr., Kitchener, Ontario/Forest Heights Collegiate Institute
Newcomer of the Year: Nataly Korobkova, Kansas State OH, Jr., 6-3, Krasnoyarsk, Russia/State Siberian Technological
Freshman of the Year: Juliann Faucette, Texas, OH, 6-2, San Diego, Calif./Westview
Defensive Player of the Year: Christina Houghtelling, Nebraska, OH, Sr., 6-2, Cambridge, Neb./Cambridge
Libero of the Year: Angie Lastra, Kansas State, L, Sr., 5-6, Carolina, Puerto Rico/Carvin School
Coach of the Year: Jerritt Elliott, Texas