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Senior Crista Jones (Adam Kazub photo)Jones Earns SCIAC Player of the Year Honors
Crista Jones, who helped propel the La Verne volleyball team to its 10th consecutive 20+ win season and a late-season push into the NCAA Tournament, was honored as the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Player of the Year in a vote among league coaches.
Freshman Catie Logan was La Verne's other representative on the All-SCIAC squad garnering a Second Team selection.
A 5-10 senior from Fresno, Jones moved from the middle blocker position to outside hitter prior to the 2009 season and became the league's most dominant offensive weapon. Overall she collected 529 kills on the year, an average of 4.04 kills per set while hitting .280 on the season. In conference play, she nearly averaged 5 kills per set, finishing at 4.98 in her 14 league matches. Her .330 hitting percentage in conference matches also ranked #1 among league leaders.
Jones posted 20 or more kills in five matches this season including a season-high 29 against Pomona-Pitzer on Oct. 2. In the SCIAC Postseason Tournament, she recorded 26 against Cal Lutheran in the semifinals and followed that effort with a 28-kill performance against Redlands in the tournament final.
The selection of Jones marks the seventh time this decade in which a La Verne athlete has earned SCIAC Player of the Year status in volleyball. The others include Ryan Winn (2001), Amy Kratochvil (2002, 2004), Tricia Schary (2003) and Brianna Gonzales (2007, 2008). Additionally Jones becomes the 13th different Leopard volleyball player to be named SCIAC Player of the Year in the program's storied history.
A freshman from Beaverton, Oregon, Logan made the switch from opposite to middle blocker at midseason and helped La Verne finish 12-4 after a 9-9 start to the season. Logan ranked #1 in the SCIAC in blocks per set (0.95) in conference matches. Overall she finished with 70 total blocks on the year. As a team, La Verne led the conference in blocks, averaging 2.13 per set.
La Verne earned an at-large berth to the 2009 NCAA Tournament, marking its 10th straight appearance in postseason play.
