Blane Named to AVCA All-South Region 1st Team
12/5/2023 11:06:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Liberty junior middle blocker Madison Blane was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-South Region first team.
Blane is the sixth Lady Flame to be honored as an AVCA All-Region selection, and first since 2012, when Caroline Douglas was named an AVCA All-Region honorable mention selection.
As a result of her selection to the AVCA All-South Region first team, Blane is on the ballot for AVCA All-American consideration. The announcement of AVCA All-Americans will happen on Dec. 13.
Earlier this fall, Blane, a native of Montgomery, Texas, was named 2023 CUSA Defensive Player of the Year while also being named to the CUSA All-Conference first team. She was voted CUSA Defensive Player of the Week three times this season and is the eighth player in conference history to be named CUSA Defensive Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week in the same season.
For the season, Blane led CUSA in hitting percentage (.418 – 10th nationally) and is second in blocks per set (1.30 – 26th nationally). She has reached double figures in kills 12 times, including 11 10-kill matches in conference play. Blane is the first Liberty player since Loren Thomas in 2012 to hit .600 or better (minimum 12 kills) twice in the same year. The middle blocker posted five or more blocks 16 times during the campaign. She set a new program single-season record for hitting percentage (.418) during the rally-scoring era, while her 134 blocks were the fourth most by a Lady Flame in a single season since the 2001 season.
Liberty finished the 2023 season with a 15-14 record, including 8-8 in Conference USA play, earning the fifth seed for the 2023 Conference USA Volleyball Championship. The Lady Flames opened the season with a seven-match winning streak, a stretch which included wins over NCAA Tournament teams High Point, Yale and Hawai'i. The Lady Flames' 3-2 win at Hawai'i on Sept. 7 marked the first win over a Top 25 team in program history.
2023 AVCA All-South Region
1st Team
Madison Blane, Liberty
Paige Briggs, Western Kentucky
Emma Clothier, SMU
Danyle Courtley, Rice
Kaylee Cox, Western Kentucky
Jill Gillen, Arkansas
Taylor Head, Arkansas
Hannah Hogue, Arkansas
Logan Lednicky, Texas A&M
Meg Mersman, Lipscomb
Jurnee Robinson, LSU
Madison Scheer, Auburn
Bailey Tillman, McNeese
Emilia Weske, Rice
Honorable Mention
Callie Bauer, Western Kentucky
Maggie Cartwright, Arkansas
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Texas A&M
Celia Cullen, SMU
Rachel Hartmann, Southeastern Louisiana
Kailian Newsome, Southeastern Louisiana
South Region Player of the Year
Paige Briggs, Western Kentucky
South Region Freshman of the Year
Jurnee Robinson, LSU
South Region Coach of the Year
Jason Watson, Arkansas
Blane is the sixth Lady Flame to be honored as an AVCA All-Region selection, and first since 2012, when Caroline Douglas was named an AVCA All-Region honorable mention selection.
As a result of her selection to the AVCA All-South Region first team, Blane is on the ballot for AVCA All-American consideration. The announcement of AVCA All-Americans will happen on Dec. 13.
Earlier this fall, Blane, a native of Montgomery, Texas, was named 2023 CUSA Defensive Player of the Year while also being named to the CUSA All-Conference first team. She was voted CUSA Defensive Player of the Week three times this season and is the eighth player in conference history to be named CUSA Defensive Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week in the same season.
For the season, Blane led CUSA in hitting percentage (.418 – 10th nationally) and is second in blocks per set (1.30 – 26th nationally). She has reached double figures in kills 12 times, including 11 10-kill matches in conference play. Blane is the first Liberty player since Loren Thomas in 2012 to hit .600 or better (minimum 12 kills) twice in the same year. The middle blocker posted five or more blocks 16 times during the campaign. She set a new program single-season record for hitting percentage (.418) during the rally-scoring era, while her 134 blocks were the fourth most by a Lady Flame in a single season since the 2001 season.
Liberty finished the 2023 season with a 15-14 record, including 8-8 in Conference USA play, earning the fifth seed for the 2023 Conference USA Volleyball Championship. The Lady Flames opened the season with a seven-match winning streak, a stretch which included wins over NCAA Tournament teams High Point, Yale and Hawai'i. The Lady Flames' 3-2 win at Hawai'i on Sept. 7 marked the first win over a Top 25 team in program history.
2023 AVCA All-South Region
1st Team
Madison Blane, Liberty
Paige Briggs, Western Kentucky
Emma Clothier, SMU
Danyle Courtley, Rice
Kaylee Cox, Western Kentucky
Jill Gillen, Arkansas
Taylor Head, Arkansas
Hannah Hogue, Arkansas
Logan Lednicky, Texas A&M
Meg Mersman, Lipscomb
Jurnee Robinson, LSU
Madison Scheer, Auburn
Bailey Tillman, McNeese
Emilia Weske, Rice
Honorable Mention
Callie Bauer, Western Kentucky
Maggie Cartwright, Arkansas
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Texas A&M
Celia Cullen, SMU
Rachel Hartmann, Southeastern Louisiana
Kailian Newsome, Southeastern Louisiana
South Region Player of the Year
Paige Briggs, Western Kentucky
South Region Freshman of the Year
Jurnee Robinson, LSU
South Region Coach of the Year
Jason Watson, Arkansas
Players Mentioned
MB
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