Jones Named AVCA First Team All-America
Senior Crista Jones concludes her career by earning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) First Team All-America honors for the second consecutive year.
Jones landed a spot on the AVCA First Team after leading La Verne to a 23-14 overall record, a 10th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and a spot in the West Region finals.
A 5-10 outside hitter from Fresno, Jones made the switch from the middle blocker position and registered a team-high 602 kills this season, an average of 4.15 per set. Additionally she posted 347 digs on the year.
In her 37 matches, Jones posted double-figure kills on 20 occasions during the 2009 season. Additionally she recorded 20+ kills in 9 matches, including a high of 29 against Pomona-Pitzer on October 2, and against Redlands on November 7.
She excelled during the postseason, collecting a total of 123 kills in her five playoff matches, an average of 24.6 kills per match.
Jones repeats as an AVCA First Team All-America selection. She was one of two Leopards to earn AVCA First Team accolades a year ago with teammate Brianna Gonzales. She also becomes the fourth Leopard to twice earn First Team All-America honors, joining Eileen Kamidoi (1981, 1982), Sue Haebecker (1981, 1982) and Gonzales (2007, 2008).
The selection of Jones marks the 28th appearance of a La Verne volleyball player on the All-America team. In addition her selection marks the ninth straight year a Leopard player has been named to the All-America team.
Earlier this month Jones was named the 2009 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Player of the Year and was honored with her third selection to the AVCA All-West Region team (2006, 2008, 2009).
Jones was the only SCIAC player to receive AVCA First Team All-America honors this season.
