From Washington University Athletics
St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 19, 2013 – Washington University in St. Louis freshman middle hitter Caroline Dupont was selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III All-America First Team and named the AVCA Division III Freshman of the Year, as announced Tuesday by the Association. Sophomore middle hitter Jackie Nelligan received All-America Honorable Mention honors for the Bears.
Dupont, who was also named the AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year and University Athletic Association (UAA) co-Rookie of the Year, joined Kelly Pang (2009) as the only two players in Washington University history to receive AVCA National Freshman of the Year honors. Dupont and Pang are also the only two players in school history to receive AVCA First-Team All-America honors in their rookie seasons.
Dupont, a first-team all-UAA and all-Central Region selection, led Washington U. with 3.02 kills per set and a .351 hitting percentage in her first collegiate season. She finished second on the team with 374 kills, 105 blocks and 35 service aces, and hit .500 or better in 10 matches. Dupont was named the UAA Athlete of the Week four times during the season, and was selected as the AVCA Division III National Player of the Week Sept. 10. She was also selected to the all-tournament team at the Elmhurst, Illinois Regional, as well as at the Labor Day Classic, WU/ASICS National Invitational, and Bears Invitational during the regular season.
Nelligan earned All-America honorable mention honors for the first time in her career after leading the Bears with 108 blocks and finishing second with a .320 hitting percentage. She also finished the season with 282 kills (2.35 per set), which ranked fourth on the team. Nelligan tallied double-digit kills in 11 matches in 2013, and recorded the first double-double of her career with 15 kills and a career-high 11 blocks in the Bears' five-set win at then-No. 18 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Oct. 11. She was selected to three all-tournament teams during the season, and was named the UAA Athlete of the Week Sept. 30.
Washington U. finished the season with a 27-8 record. The Bears made their 27th consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament, falling in the Regional Semifinal to No. 5 Elmhurst College.