GWC Volleyball All-Conference Team
NEWARK, NJ – NJIT senior libero Sabrina Baby was named 2009 Defensive Player of the Year in the Great West Conference the league office announced Thursday evening.
Baby was joined on the all-conference first team by sophomore Renata Pandolfo and freshman middle blocker Fernanda Lima was selected to the all-newcomer team.
The Great West Conference includes seven teams; each team competes during the regular season meeting on a home-and-home basis.
Baby, the Division I national individual leader with 6.42 digs per set (591 digs, 92 sets). She was named to the 2009 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District women’s volleyball first team as a business major with a 3.91 cumulative GPA. Baby has started all 27 matches this season recording double-figures in each contest. She holds the NJIT Division I school record for digs in a four-set match (45) and digs in a five-set match with (42). Baby was named Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Week three times, recording double-figures in the digs category in every match this season. She holds numerous NJIT Division I school-records – 2,284 career digs, 795 digs posted in a season (2008), 189 career services aces and 71 service aces in a season (2008).
Pandolfo, leads the team with 329 kills (3.58kps) and ranks 105th among Division I players in kills per set. She has recorded double-figure kills in 19 out of 27 matches with a season-high 20 kills on two occasions and 15 double-doubles. Her 341 digs ranks her second on the team.
Lima, leads the team with 67 total blocks and was named Most Valuable Player to the 2009 Terrier Invitational. She posted a career-high six total blocks against Utah Valley (Oct. 10) and seven kills against South Dakota (Nov. 5).
South Dakota and Texas-Pan American will open the Great West Conference Volleyball Tournament at 10 a.m. on Friday, followed by a 12:30 p.m. match between No. 2 seed Utah Valley (20-9, 10-2) and No. 7 seed Chicago State (0-25, 0-12).
NJIT (17-10, 7-5) the No. 3 seed in the tournament will face host Houston Baptist (12-19, 3-9), who are the No. 6 seed.
Friday's action will conclude with an 8 p.m. semifinal, and the Great West Conference Volleyball Tournament champion will be crowned following a 2 p.m. match on Saturday.