College volleyball All-Americans include several players with ties to Kentucky
Ten athletes with ties to Kentucky received All-America recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Wednesday.
The coaches’ 42nd annual naming of NCAA Division I women’s volleyball All-Americans included 42 players nationwide spread evenly across first, second and third teams. An additional 56 players earned honorable mention.
Three players from the University of Kentucky, three from the University of Louisville and one from Western Kentucky University were among those recognized along with an ex-Wildcat and two former commonwealth high school stars now playing out of state.
UK junior setter Emma Grome was named a second-team All-American for the third year in a row. Senior outside hitter Reagan Rutherford received third-team recognition for the second straight season. Freshman outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye received honorable mention. Kentucky finished the season 21-8, won the Southeastern Conference championship for the seventh year in a row and advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.
Senior outside hitter Anna DeBeer and junior libero Elena Scott made the second team for Louisville. Cardinals sophomore middle blocker Cara Cresse was named to the third team. U of L finished 27-5 and advanced to the Elite Eight of NCAA play.
Paige Briggs, a graduate student at Western Kentucky, was also a third-team choice. She led the Hilltoppers to a 30-5 record, an undefeated Conference USA championship and the NCAA round of 32.
Additionally, former Kentucky star Madisen Skinner — a junior outside hitter now with Texas — was named to the All-America first team.
Former Assumption High School standouts Callie Martin (Wright State) and Emma Monks (Pittsburgh) received honorable mention.