Zoe Fleck Named Pac-12 Libero of the Year, Five Get All-Conference Nods
WVB on Twitter | WVB on Facebook | WVB on Instagram
SAN FRANCISCO - Junior Zoe Fleck was named the Pac-12 Conference Libero of the Year, as announced on Wednesday. Fleck was also one of five Bruins to earn All-Pac-12 honors, as she was joined on the All-Pac-12 Team by senior Mac May, junior élan McCall and freshman Iman Ndiaye. Redshirt junior Emily Ryan was named All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention, while Ndiaye was recognized on the All-Freshman Team.
First awarded in 2011, the Pac-12 Libero of the Year has been bestowed upon a Bruin three times, with Taylor Formico earning the award in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016.
For May, she becomes the sixth Bruin to earn four all-conference awards and the 10th to receive at least three First Team honors. Fleck, McCall, Ndiaye and Ryan were all honored by the Pac-12 for the first time.
Fleck leads the Bruins and all Pac-12 liberos with 4.34 digs per set, reaching double figures in digs in all 20 matches this season. She has surpassed 20 digs on five occasions, with a season-best 25 in a win against Arizona on Feb. 26. Fleck is also second on the team with 17 service aces, recording at least one in 12 of 20 contests. She had a season-best four against Oregon State in the regular-season finale on March 28. Fleck, who notched the first double-double of her career with 22 digs and 10 assists at Oregon on Jan. 29, was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on March 2 after helping the Bruins to a series sweep of Arizona.
May is tops on the team with 4.25 kills and 4.87 points per set, ranking second in the Pac-12 in both categories, 27th nationally in pps and 34th in kps. She had double figures in kills in 19 of 20 contests, reaching the 20-mark on four occasions, with a season-best 25 on March 21 against USC. May has four double-doubles, setting a season high with 19 digs in a win over Washington on Feb. 12. The senior is also first with 26 service aces and sixth in the conference in aces per set. May has an ace in 12 of 20 matches, including multiples on eight occasions, with a season-high of four versus Washington. May is also second on the team with 13 block solos.
McCall, who is second on the team with 2.84 kps, leads the Bruins with seven double-doubles, setting season highs with 24 kills and 19 digs against USC on March 21. She has produced double figures in digs 12 times and at least 10 kills on eight occasions. McCall has been stepping up her serving game of late, as she is fourth with 14 aces. She has an ace in six matches in a row heading into the postseason and eight of nine, including multiples three times.
Ndiaye, who is third on the team with 2.12 kps, has six double-figure kills matches, registering a season-best 12 at Arizona State (Feb. 21) and against Oregon State (March 26). She has at least seven kills and a .400 hitting percentage in six matches. Ndiaye ranks ninth among Pac-12 players with a .305 hitting percentage. She also has at least four blocks in a match on five occasions.
Ryan leads the Bruins with 1.21 blocks per set and also has a .325 hitting percentage, which both rank fifth in the conference. Ryan has three double-figure kills matches, posting a season-best 12 with a .556 hitting percentage and seven blocks in a win at Oregon on Jan. 29. She has at least six kills with a .400 hitting percentage five times. Ryan has 10 contests with at least five blocks, recording a season-high nine in a win at USC on March 19.
The Bruins open the NCAA Tournament, which will be played entirely in Omaha, Neb., on Wednesday, April 14 against Rider at 7:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. CT. The match will air on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN App.