Three Bulls Garner All-BIG EAST Conference Honors
November 20, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of South Florida volleyball players Marcela Gurgel, Alli Arbogast and Allie Boaz garnered All-BIG EAST Conference honors, as announced by the league Thursday night at the Championship Banquet held at the Hyatt Regency. This is the most members on the all-conference team for USF since joining the BIG EAST in 2005.
"I'm so proud of all three of them - individual awards and successes are also a tribute to the team that surrounds them, "said USF head coach Claire Lessinger. "This has been a great group of young ladies with an incredible amount of drive and passion. We are honored to have three of our players recognized by the BIG EAST conference."
Gurgel collected first-team honors for the fourth year in a row. The senior led the team in kills per set (3.91) and points per set (4.51). The outside hitter sits tied for second place among conference leaders with 4.04 kills per set in BIG EAST matches. The Fortaleza, Brazil native moved up on USF's all-time career kills list to second place with 1,756, fourth in aces with 218 and ninth with 1,046 digs.
Arbogast was named to the first team for the first time in her career. The senior middle blocker leads the team with 1.55 blocks per set and has been ranked in the top 10 nationally for the entire year. Arbogast tallied the most blocks in one game in BIG EAST play with 16 against UConn on Oct. 2. In addition, she ranks fourth in the conference with a .353 attack percentage. The St. Louis, Mo., native solidified her spot in second place on USF's all-time career block assist list with 368 and also stands fourth in total blocks with 416.
Boaz, a right-side hitter, earned second team honors, the first of her career. The junior led USF and the BIG EAST with a game high .750 attack percentage against UCF. Right behind Arbogast, Boaz currently ranks seventh in the BIG EAST with a .319 attack percentage. The Belleville, Ill., native has hit over .300 in eight of 14 BIG EAST matches in the 2009 season
The selections were voted on by the league's head coaches and were based on BIG EAST only statistics. The banquet, held with all eight participating BIG EAST Volleyball Championship teams, honored a total of 24 All-BIG EAST selections.
This year's championship is hosted by the University of Louisville at the Kentucky International Convention Center from November 20-22. USF, as the No. 6 seed, will face off against No. 3 seed Pittsburgh at 10 a.m. Friday in quarterfinal action.
