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Pac-12 Volleyball Postseason Honors Announced

Dec 1, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO - The Pac-12 Conference announced its postseason volleyball awards today. USC senior outside hitter Samantha Bricio has been voted the Pac-12 Conference Volleyball Player of the Year, STANFORD outside hitter Hayley Hodson has been selected the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year and USC’s Mick Haley was voted Pac-12 Conference Volleyball Coach of the Year, Commissioner Larry Scott announced Tuesday. In addition, STANFORD senior Madi Bugg was tabbed the Pac-12 Conference Setter of the Year and UCLA junior Taylor Formico was selected the Pac-12 Conference Libero of the Year.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- SAMANTHA BRICIO, USC
A senior from Guadalajara, Mexico, Bricio has led USC to claim a share of the Pac-12 crown and becomes only the third Trojan to win the Pac-12 Player of the Year honor. A national player of the year candidate, the outside hitter leads the nation in service aces (0.73) and points per set (6.18). She became the first Trojan and just the seventh player in Conference history to amass 2,000 career kills. Bricio broke the Conference’s all-time aces record as a junior and is the only player in league history to tally over 200 of them in a career. She enters the NCAA Tournament, where USC has secured the No. 1 overall seed, nearly 100 aces ahead of the second-place person on the all-time list. She owns three of the top-five single-season performances in Conference history with her 83 services aces so far this season ranking fifth. Bricio has posted 15 double-doubles on the season, the fifth most in the Pac-12. Bricio was voted the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week a Conference-record six times this season and is tied for second in the record book with nine in her career. She was also tabbed a national player of the week by ESPNW.com and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), as well. Bricio is the 18th player in Pac-12 history to earn All-Conference honors four times and is just the second Trojan following April Ross (2000-03). She is also the 14th player in league history to be named freshman of the year (2012) then go on to win the player of the year honor. The only other former Trojan to accomplish that feat is Ross.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR -- HAYLEY HODSON, STANFORD
Voted Pac-12 Freshman of the Week five times, the Newport Beach, Calif., native ranks in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in kills per set and points per set. The only freshman in the league to appear in each of the categories, she averages team bests of 3.85 kps and 4.58 pps, which ranks seventh and fifth in the league, respectively. The No. 1 high school recruit in the nation last year, she has recorded two matches where she hit better than .600, both on the same weekend against the Oregon schools. Her best effort was a .652 outing in the 3-0 win over Oregon State on Oct. 9, notching 16 kills on 23 swings with just one error. She also had a season-best 15 digs in the match vs. the Beavers. She had a 25-kill performance in the five-set win over Washington on Oct. 21, which ranks in the top 10 in the Conference this season. Hodson has also recorded 12 doubles-doubles this season which ties for eighth-most in the Pac-12. Hodson is the 11th Cardinal in Conference history to win Freshman of the Year honors and the first since 2007. She follows in the footsteps of former Cardinal greats Kerri Walsh (1996), Logan Tom (1999) and Foluke Akinradewo (2005).

SETTER OF THE YEAR -- MADI BUGG, STANFORD
In the five-year history of the award, Bugg earns the setter of the year honor for the third-consecutive season. A senior out of Apex, N.C., she leads the Conference with 11.04 assists per set, dishing out a season-high 60 in the five-set thriller at UCLA in the final regular-season match of the season on Nov. 27, leading the Cardinal to the win. A Preseason All-Pac-12 pick by the coaches, Bugg earns All-Pac-12 honors for the second time and is also a two-time AVCA All-American, earning first-team honors last year. She is just out of the top-10 in the Pac-12 record book in career assists, collecting 4,946 helpers in her four seasons, ranking third all-time at Stanford.

LIBERO OF THE YEAR -- TAYLOR FORMICO, UCLA
In the short five-year history of the award, the junior is the first Bruin to win the libero honor. The Saratoga, Calif., native is third in the Pac-12 in digs per set with a 4.57 average and accounts for two of the Conference’s best digs performances this season, notching a league-best 35 in a five-setter at Arizona on Nov. 22. Her 32 digs in the five-set match at Oregon State on Oct. 25 ties for second-most this season. A starter in every match at the libero position, she has 27 double-figure digs matches and surpassed 20 on nine different occasions.

COACH OF THE YEAR -- MICK HALEY, USC
Mick Haley is the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second time in five years, winning the honor in 2011. It is also the fifth coach of the year nod for the Trojans all-time. After going 16-16 in 2014 and starting the 2015 campaign ranked No. 22 in the preseason poll, the Trojans quickly moved up the national rankings and were the No. 1 team in the country for six straight weeks. Picked to finish fifth this season by the league’s coaches, Haley has led the Trojans to claim a share of the Pac-12 crown, the program’s fifth all-time and second in five years. USC has also earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after posting the program’s fifth 30-win season all-time. Bricio’s selection as the Conference Player of the Year marks the third time one of his players has earned the league’s highest honor. Haley posted his 911th NCAA Division I career win this season, as well.

2015 ALL-PAC-12 WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM

PLAYER, TEAM POS. HT. YR. HOMETOWN
Brittany Abercrombie, USC OH 6-2 SO Carlsbad, Calif.
Adora Anae, UTAH OH 6-1 SO Laie, Hawai’i
Jordan Anderson, UCLA OH 6-0 JR Flower Mound, Texas
Alexis Austin, COLO ** OH 6-2 SR Houston, Texas
Samantha Bricio, USC **** OH 6-2 SR Guadalajara, Mexico
Madi Bugg, STAN ** S 6-0 SR Apex, N.C.
Nicole Edelman, COLO S 6-0 SR Boulder, Colo.
Hayley Hodson, STAN OH 6-3 FR Newport Beach, Calif.
Kyra Holt, WSU OH 6-1 JR Hercules, Calif.
Brittany Howard, STAN ** OH 6-3 SR Los Altos, Calif.
Merete Lutz, STAN ** MH 6-8 SO Houston, Texas
Kalei Mau, ARIZ OH 6-1 JR Kahaluu, Hawai’i
Alicia Ogoms, USC MH 6-4 SR Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Lilian Schonewise, CAL MB 6-3 SR Papilion, Neb.
Penina Snuka, ARIZ ** S 5-6 JR Gilbert, Ariz.
Cassie Strickland, WASH L 5-8 SR Huntington Beach, Calif.
Lianna Sybeldon, WASH ** MB 6-1 SR Folsom, Calif.
Lindsey Vander Weide, ORE OH 6-3 FR Turlock, Calif.

** two-time selection, *** three-time selection

Honorable Mention: BreElle Bailey, ASU; Amanda Benson, ORE; Reily Buechler, UCLA; Claire Felix, UCLA; Whitney Follette, ASU; Alyse Ford, USC; Taylor Formico, UCLA; Jennie Frager, UCLA; Baylee Johnson, USC; Crissy Jones, WASH; Mary-Kate Marshall, OSU; Zana Muno, UCLA; Elise Ruddins, USC; Tia Scambray, WASH; Gabby Simpson, COLO; Bailey Tanner, WASH; Melanie Wade, WASH; Taylor Whittingham, USC.

2015 PAC-12 ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

PLAYER, TEAM POS. HT. HOMETOWN
Alyse Ford, USC OH 5-10 Laguna Beach, Calif.
Hayley Hodson, STAN OH 6-3 Newport Beach, Calif.
Baylee Johnson, USC S 6-0 Dayton, Ohio
Zana Muno, UCLA S 5-10 Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Tyler Spriggs, ARIZ OH 6-1 Los Angeles, Calif.
Linsdey Vander Weide, ORE OH 6-3 Turlock, Calif.
McKenna Woodford, WSU OH 6-4 Chandler, Ariz.

Honorable Mention: Naghede Abu, COLO; Kayla Ellis, OSU; Destiny Julye, WASH; Halland McKenna, STAN; Berkeley Oblad, UTAH.