Roth Named A-10 Setter of the Year
Nov. 15, 2007
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Saint Louis sophomore Whitney Roth (Louisville, Ky. / Assumption) has been selected as the Atlantic 10 Conference Setter of the Year in a vote conducted among the league's head coaches. The Billikens lead all A-10 squads with three players, including the only two underclassmen, on the All-Conference First Team. "I am so proud of Whitney Roth," SLU head coach Anne Kordes said. "She has worked extremely hard to put herself in a position to be one of the premier setters in the country. Whitney's ability to split the offense between all of our weapons has allowed a number of players to shine this season which in turn has helped her shine." Roth garnered Setter of the Year accolades after tallying 13.21 assists per game this season, including a league-best 13.15 assists per game in A-10 contests. The sophomore, who ranks 23rd in the nation in assists per game, also leads all A-10 setters with a .364 hitting percentage in conference matches. Roth already ranks third on the Billikens' career assist list with 2,862 in two seasons, while her 1,334 assists in 2007 rank fifth on SLU's single-season list. The marketing major was also the only Saint Louis player named to the Academic All-Conference squad. Senior middle blocker Sutton Lasater (St. Louis, Mo. / Marquette), an All-Conference first team selection, picked up the lone A-10 honors of her career in her final season. The two-time A-10 Player of the Week finished the regular season with a .352 hitting percentage and 1.24 blocks per game, ranking second among all A-10 players. Earlier this season, she became just the fourth player in SLU program history to surpass 1,000 kills and 500 blocks.
"Sutton has made incredible gains every year," Kordes said. "Her commitment and work ethic over the summer has helped her have a tremendous senior season. She's provided a lot of leadership for this team." Sophomore outside hitter Sammi McCloud (Columbia, Ill. / Columbia) is Saint Louis' final first-team honoree. After missing five matches early in the regular season due to injury, the reigning A-10 Rookie of the Year posted a team-best 4.11 kills per game in conference matches. She has recorded eight double-doubles this season, and recently tied her career high with 23 kills at Pittsburgh. Currently, McCloud ranks second on the Billiken squad with 3.66 kills and 2.51 digs per game. "Sammi is a player who impacts every part of our game," Kordes said. "She is the kind of player that every opposing team is gunning for and she has handled it extremely well. Sammi has improved a lot since last year and she is only going to get better." Bridget Fonke (St. Louis, Mo. / St. Joseph's) is the Bills' lone representative on the second team. The sophomore outside hitter leads SLU with 4.30 kills per game, which ranks fourth among all A-10 players. Fonke, who received the first two A-10 Player of the Week honors in 2007, also earned three All-Tournament team accolades this season. Meanwhile, her .57 service aces per game ranks 24th in the nation. Fonke has recorded double-digit kills in all but two matches this season. "I couldn't be more proud of Bridget," Kordes said. "For her to receive an all-conference award in her first real season is great. She has tons of potential. Bridget is a perfectionist; every day she is in the gym trying to get better. "I also want to recognize our libero, Whitney Behrens. She is one of the top liberos in the nation, and a big reason why we have done so well the past two seasons. Whitney (Behrens) is the glue that holds this team together, and her (dig) numbers have been limited this season because our blocking has been so good." Tomorrow the third-seeded Billikens begin defending their A-10 Championship title with a 4 p.m. (CT) contest against sixth-seeded George Washington at Halton Arena in Charlotte, N.C. |
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