Kentucky Volleyball has Four Named AVCA All-Region, Edmond Freshman of the Year

The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced its all-region teams on Tuesday, with Kentucky juniors Kaz Brown and Ashley Dusek, freshman Leah Edmond and sophomore Olivia Dailey each on the 14-player Southeast Region list. Edmond was also named the region’s Freshman of the Year.
Under head coach Craig Skinner, UK has earned 31 All-Region awards. Dusek and Brown have now won the award twice throughout their careers, while this is the first for Edmond and Dailey. Edmond’s Freshman of the Year award is the first for the Kentucky volleyball program.
“I’m very happy for these individuals,” head coach Craig Skinner said. “They all work extremely hard and demand a lot from themselves on and off the court. It’s also shows the great respect for our team and our accomplishments during the season.”
Edmond adds the All-Region Freshman of the Year award to her All-SEC and SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Edmond finished the year second in the conference in kills per set at 4.25 and was the third-best freshman in the nation in that category. The Lexington, Kentucky, native finished with 450 kills during the season, which was the second-highest season total from a Wildcat during the 25-point rally scoring era. A prolific scorer, she hit the 20-kill mark five times during the season, including the win over Colorado State in the NCAA Tournament. Edmond was all over the floor as well, as she recorded a team-best eight double-doubles this season. She averaged 1.92 digs per set, and hit double-digit scoops nine times. The freshman earned SEC Freshman of the Week accolades eight times during the 2016 campaign, and SEC Player of the Week twice.
Dusek took home her second-career AVCA All-Region honor after winning SEC Libero of the Year and earning a spot on the All-SEC team. While teams have game-planned around Dusek this season, she still averaged 4.78 digs per set, good for second in the SEC. Her numbers were even higher during league play with 5.02 scoops per frame. Her season high was 31 against Ole Miss on Nov. 13, which tied for the highest dig total in the SEC this season. She was recognized for her play on the court and her classroom work with a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. Dusek became the fifth player under Skinner to total 1,000 or more career digs when she achieved the feat this season. The East Bernard, Texas, native logged 10 or more digs in all but three matches this season. Dusek was also a member of the preseason All-SEC team, a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week and also an SEC Player of the Week.
Brown won her second AVCA All-Region award after a phenomenal season. The Waterloo, Iowa, native was also named to the All-SEC team. Brown was third in the SEC and 16th in the country in blocks per set at 1.42. Her 151 blocks were the second-most from any UK player during the 25-point rally scoring era, trailing herself from 2015. During the 25-point rally scoring era, Brown also sits in second in career blocks with 429. The middle blocker also produces on offense, recording 2.58 kills per set. The junior was named to the preseason All-SEC team and was awarded SEC Offensive Player of the Week twice this season.
Dailey earned her first AVCA All-region honor after being named All-SEC earlier in the year. Dailey has been a catalyst for a team that was 20th in the nation in kills per set at 14.23. The Trussville, Alabama, native finished the season fourth in the country in assists per set at 11.78. Dailey sits tied for sixth in the single-season 25-point rally era record book with 1,202 helpers, and recently became just the fourth player during the rally scoring era to record 60 or more helpers in one contest in a win over Texas A&M. Dailey has six double-doubles this season, and produced 47 assists and 12 scoops in the NCAA Tournament win over Colorado State. Dailey has been named SEC Setter of the Week five times this season, SEC Offensive Player of the Week once and FloVolleyball National Player of the Week during the 2016 campaign.
More information on the AVCA All-Region teams can be found here.
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Deb Moore