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Lanier, Botkin, Lázaro, and Baptista Garner Pac-12 All-Conference Awards
November 27, 2018 | Women's Volleyball, Features
USC setter Raquel Lázaro was chosen as the Pac-12’s Freshman of the Year
SAN FRANCISCO – USC women's volleyball junior outside hitter Khalia Lanier (Scottsdale, Ariz./Xavier College Preparatory) and sophomore outside hitter Brooke Botkin (Houston, Texas/Pearland HS) were each named to the 2018 Pac-12 All-Conference Team as announced by The Conference on Tuesday, Nov. 27.
Freshman setter Raquel Lázaro (Córdoba, Spain) was chosen as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was also named to the All-Freshman Team. Lázaro and junior opposite hitter Emily Baptista (Stevinson, Calif./Hilmar HS) each received Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention status.
The selections of Botkin and Lanier bring USC's all-time total to 75 All-Pac-12 certificates awarded to 38 different Women of Troy. Including all-conference selections preceding the Pac-12, Trojans now hold 98 all-league recognitions since 1977.
Voted on by the league's head coaches, the Pac-12 honored Stanford's Kevin Hambly as the Coach of the Year and chose three Cardinal players for the other three major awards. Outside hitter Kathryn Plummer was chosen as the Player of the Year; Morgan Hentz was named the league's Libero of the Year; and Jenna Gray was chosen as the Setter of the Year.
Lanier's inclusion on the all-conference team makes her the 12th Trojan to receive three All-Pac-12 selections in her career and only the fourth to do so in her first three seasons. She was part of the Pac-12's preseason all-conference team and was named to three non-conference all-tournament teams including MVP status at the Bubly Invitational (Florida) and the Trojan Invitational (USC). Lanier is fourth in the Pac-12 for kills (4.30 kps) and points (4.8 pps) this season.
Botkin becomes the Trojans' 38th player to receive All-Pac-12 notice. It is her first-career all-league award. She was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 27) and was named to two non-conference all-tournament teams this fall. She ranks third in the Pac-12 for kills (4.45 kps) and points (4.9 pps) and shares team-high honors with Lázaro with 12 double-doubles this season.
Lázaro is USC's eighth all-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honoree and the first since 2013 (Ebony Nwanebu). Only Stanford has had more such honors with 12. Lázaro was chosen for Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards four times this fall and has started every match for the Women of Troy with a team-high 12 double-doubles (tied with Botkin). She is also USC's first all-freshman team choice since Lanier was named to the 2016 team.
Baptista was one of 18 players to receive honorable mention status in the Pac-12. She ranked in the top 20 for kills (2.89 kps) and in the top 25 for points (3.3 pps) and started every match for the Trojans.
First-year head coach Brent Crouch has guided the Women of Troy to a 21-10 overall record and a second-place tie in the Pac-12 (13-7). The Trojans played one of the toughest schedules in the nation with 18 AVCA ranked opponents. USC went 11-7 in those matchups and finished the year with 28 of 31 matches against the AVCA's top 100 teams.
The Trojans will open their 36th NCAA tournament run as first- and second-round hosts at Galen Center and will face Southern Conference champion Samford (19-14) at 8 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 30. In the other first-round match, Big West champion Cal Poly (25-2) will take on San Diego (16-12) from the West Coast Conference at 6 p.m. Winners of the two first-round matches will meet at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, in the second round for the right to advance to the round of 16.
Since the NCAA expanded to a field of 64 teams in 1998, the Women of Troy have advanced to 12 regional championship matches, seven national semifinals (final four), and two national finals (both victories). Last year, the Women of Troy received the No. 10 seed and advanced to the Gainesville regional final where it fell to site host and eventual national runner-up Florida in five sets.
For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information on the NCAA tournament, an interactive bracket, and links to live stats and video, please visit NCAA.com.
Freshman setter Raquel Lázaro (Córdoba, Spain) was chosen as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was also named to the All-Freshman Team. Lázaro and junior opposite hitter Emily Baptista (Stevinson, Calif./Hilmar HS) each received Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention status.
The selections of Botkin and Lanier bring USC's all-time total to 75 All-Pac-12 certificates awarded to 38 different Women of Troy. Including all-conference selections preceding the Pac-12, Trojans now hold 98 all-league recognitions since 1977.
Voted on by the league's head coaches, the Pac-12 honored Stanford's Kevin Hambly as the Coach of the Year and chose three Cardinal players for the other three major awards. Outside hitter Kathryn Plummer was chosen as the Player of the Year; Morgan Hentz was named the league's Libero of the Year; and Jenna Gray was chosen as the Setter of the Year.
Lanier's inclusion on the all-conference team makes her the 12th Trojan to receive three All-Pac-12 selections in her career and only the fourth to do so in her first three seasons. She was part of the Pac-12's preseason all-conference team and was named to three non-conference all-tournament teams including MVP status at the Bubly Invitational (Florida) and the Trojan Invitational (USC). Lanier is fourth in the Pac-12 for kills (4.30 kps) and points (4.8 pps) this season.
Botkin becomes the Trojans' 38th player to receive All-Pac-12 notice. It is her first-career all-league award. She was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 27) and was named to two non-conference all-tournament teams this fall. She ranks third in the Pac-12 for kills (4.45 kps) and points (4.9 pps) and shares team-high honors with Lázaro with 12 double-doubles this season.
Lázaro is USC's eighth all-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honoree and the first since 2013 (Ebony Nwanebu). Only Stanford has had more such honors with 12. Lázaro was chosen for Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards four times this fall and has started every match for the Women of Troy with a team-high 12 double-doubles (tied with Botkin). She is also USC's first all-freshman team choice since Lanier was named to the 2016 team.
Baptista was one of 18 players to receive honorable mention status in the Pac-12. She ranked in the top 20 for kills (2.89 kps) and in the top 25 for points (3.3 pps) and started every match for the Trojans.
First-year head coach Brent Crouch has guided the Women of Troy to a 21-10 overall record and a second-place tie in the Pac-12 (13-7). The Trojans played one of the toughest schedules in the nation with 18 AVCA ranked opponents. USC went 11-7 in those matchups and finished the year with 28 of 31 matches against the AVCA's top 100 teams.
The Trojans will open their 36th NCAA tournament run as first- and second-round hosts at Galen Center and will face Southern Conference champion Samford (19-14) at 8 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 30. In the other first-round match, Big West champion Cal Poly (25-2) will take on San Diego (16-12) from the West Coast Conference at 6 p.m. Winners of the two first-round matches will meet at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, in the second round for the right to advance to the round of 16.
Since the NCAA expanded to a field of 64 teams in 1998, the Women of Troy have advanced to 12 regional championship matches, seven national semifinals (final four), and two national finals (both victories). Last year, the Women of Troy received the No. 10 seed and advanced to the Gainesville regional final where it fell to site host and eventual national runner-up Florida in five sets.
For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information on the NCAA tournament, an interactive bracket, and links to live stats and video, please visit NCAA.com.
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