Zimmerman Headlines All-Big Ten Honorees
12/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team had four individuals earn All-Big Ten honors, the conference office announced on Monday (Dec. 1). Sophomore Lexi Zimmerman(Barrington, Ill./Barrington) was named a unanimous All-Big Ten first team selection, while senior Beth Karpiak(LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) earned All-Big Ten honorable mention and freshman Alex Hunt(Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) earned a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten Freshman team. Senior Kerry Hance(Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount) received U-M's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Zimmerman's honor is the second of her career. She was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team last season. Karpiak, Hunt and Hance are being recognized for the first time each. Hunt is Michigan's fifth Big Ten All-Freshman team honoree and the fourth in the last six seasons.
Zimmerman was one of eight Big Ten players in 2008 to be selected as aunanimous choice for the All-Big Ten team, becoming the eighth U-M player in program history to win the distinction. Zimmerman also becomes the third straight first team honoree from Michigan. Katie Bruzdinski (2004-07) was a back-to-back honoree the past two seasons. Zimmerman leads the Big Ten with 1,271 assists and ranks second in assists per set with 11.45. She already owns Michigan's single-season assists record and has climbed to third on the career assists list. A starter in every match since her inaugural season, Zimmerman has 19 career 50-plus assist matches to her credit, including six in 2008. Zimmerman adds the first team nod to her list of personal accolades that include four non-conference all-tournament selections and a pair of tournament MVP awards.
Karpiak takes home honorable mention honors after a stellar senior campaign that saw her rank sixth in the Big Ten with a .349 attack percentage while recording 322 regular-season kills. She became the 11thplayer in U-M history to eclipse the 1,000 career kills mark and currently sits first in career hitting percentage at .315. A force defensively as well, Karpiak ranks seventh in U-M history with 363 total blocks and has started every game since her sophomore season, a span of 102 consecutive matches.
Hunt becomes the fifth Wolverine in program history to earn All-Big Ten Freshman team honors, joining Zimmerman (2007), Bruzdzinski (2004), Megan Bowman (2003) and Jennifer Gandolph (2001). Since taking over a starting role at Wisconsin on Oct. 3, Hunt has recorded 199 kills, second-most among Wolverine attackers over that span. Her 210 kills rank fourth on the U-M squad and she has posted two 20-plus kill matches this season, including a career-high 21 at Purdue on Nov. 1.
Hance was the Michigan recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for volleyball, given to individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. Hance is now a candidate for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, given to one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.
Michigan travels to Lexington, Ky., for the first and second round of the NCAA Championship, taking on host Kentucky on Thursday (Dec. 4) at 7 p.m. at Memorial Coliseum. The winner will face the victor of the St. Louis vs. Alabama A&M match on Friday (Dec. 5) at 7 p.m.
2008 All-Big Ten Volleyball Honors
All-Big Ten Team*
LAURA DEBRULER, So., OH, ILL
Ashley Benson, So., OH, IND
LEXI ZIMMERMAN, So., S, MICH
Vanessa King, Jr., MB, MSU
Brook Dieter, So., OH, MINN
LAUREN GIBBEMEYER, So., MB, MINN
Christine Tan, Jr., LIB, MINN
NICOLE FAWCETT, Sr., OH, PSU (4th selection)
ALISHA GLASS, Jr., S, PSU (2)
MEGAN HODGE, Jr., OH, PSU (3)
CHRISTA HARMOTTO, Sr., MH, PSU (4)
Arielle Wilson, So., MH, PSU
STEPHANIE LYNCH, Sr., MB, PUR (3)
Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
Johannah Bangert, So., MB, ILL
Erica Short, Sr., OH, IND
Beth Karpiak, Sr., MB, MICH
Katie Dull, So., OH, OSU
Roberta Holehouse, Sr., LIB, PSU
All-Big Ten Freshman Team
MICHELLE BARTSCH, OH, ILL
Caitlin Cox, LIB, IND
ALEX HUNT, MB, MICH
NATALIE EMRO, S, MSU
Janelle Gabrielsen, S/OH, WIS
Elle Ohlander, MB, WIS
*Additional honoree due to ties
Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS
Big Ten Player of the Year: Nicole Fawcett, PSU
Defensive Player of the Year: Christine Tan, MINN
Freshman of the Year: Michelle Bartsch, ILL
Coach of the Year: Russ Rose, PSU (Coaches & Media)
Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423
