UW Volleyball UW's Thompson named nation's top college female volleyball player
Seattle Times staff
Junior setter Courtney Thompson, who led Washington to its first NCAA women's volleyball championship last month, has been voted the nation's top college female volleyball player.
Thompson received the Honda Award after national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports as well as a nomination for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.
The former Kentlake High School star was one of four finalists for the award. Also nominated were Melissa Elmer and Christina Houghtelling of Nebraska and Sam Tortorello of Penn State.
Thompson, a 5-foot-8 junior, led the Huskies to the best hitting percentage in the nation last year (.338). She is a two-time first-team All-American, second team Academic All-American and was named NCAA championship all-tournament and All-Pac-10.
The school's career leader with 4,841 assists, Thompson started all 108 games and 33 matches last season and averaged 2.46 digs and 0.59 blocks per game. She set a NCAA record by serving 18 consecutive points.
The Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year will be determined by separate balloting involving all NCAA institutions in June.
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