Radosevic Named AVCA All-Region; Vlaskovic Freshman of the Year
Dec 7, 2006 | Women's Volleyball
Dec. 7, 2006
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane outside hitter Sara Radosevic was named First Team All-Midwest Region by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association and Ksenija Vlaskovic was named AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year Wednesday. Last season, Radosevic took home the Freshman of the Year honor.
"I'm extremely proud of Sara and Ksenija and it is great to see these young women honored for their contribution to our program's progress this season," head coach Liz Kritza said. "Sara did not rest on her laurels after last years honors. She continues to show strong development as she toils diligently to lead this team to success and is working her way up the ranks of the country's best college volleyball players. Ksenija was challenged a great deal in her first season of college competition, but progressed rapidly in many areas. This is a well deserved honor and hopefully a stepping stone towards greater things in her career.
Radosevic, a sophomore from Zagreb, Croatia, was fifth in the NCAA in kills. The First-Team All-Conference USA pick finished with 495 kills in 90 games in her sophomore campaign. She set Tulane's record for most kills in a four-game match with 32 kills against UTEP in the regular season finale. She now owns four of the top single-match kill marks in Tulane history (any number of games). She racked up 31 vs UNO on August 26 and 30 in the C-USA match against UAB.
While being named Freshman of the Year in the region last season, Radosevic also earned All-America Honorable Mention status from the AVCA in 2005.
Vlaskovic, following Radosevic as Tulane's second-straight Freshman of the Year for the Midwest Region, picked up Honorable Mention All-Region honors. The outside hitter from Pozarevac, Serbia, was also named Conference USA Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the C-USA Second Team after finishing ninth in C-USA in kills (3.77).
Vlaskovic closed the regular season with a vengeance, with two double-double performances against UTEP and an 19-kill effort vs UAB. Vlaskovic posted 53 kills with a .364 hitting percentage and 36 digs in her last three matches. In her last four matches she is hitting .386 with 62 kills and just 11 errors. For the season, she has nine double-doubles and is ninth in Conference USA with 3.72 kills per game.
"For our program to produce back-to-back Freshman of the Year award winners shows the caliber of student-athlete we have recruited. I believe in giving credit where it is due and I would like to highlight the exemplary efforts of asst coach Sinisa Momic. Not only was he the lead recruiter of both these players, his direction and expertise has contributed greatly to their continued development," Kritza added. "This program is finding its way to success behind the stellar play of both Sara and Ksenija. Beyond their skills on the volleyball court, they are both young women of strong character who strive for the success of the whole team before any individual achievement. They will be the first to tell you that this sport is the purest of team sports and that their honors are not theirs alone. They share these awards with their supportive and diligent teammates."
Tulane finished the 2006 season with a record of 15-11, including a school-record 11-5 in Conference USA. The Green Wave placed tied for third in C-USA, the highest C-USA finish in school history. Tulane appeared on national television for the first time (a 3-2 win over defending C-USA champion Marshall) and tied the school record for single-season improvement in wins.
