Nfinity/AVCA Division III National Player of the Year
Amber Thomas - Juniata College
2008 AVCA Division III National Player of the Year
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Juniata College outside hitter Amber Thomas has been named the 2008 Division III American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. The award was announced this evening at the 2008 NCAA Division III Championship awards banquet in Bloomington, Ill., which was held in conjunction with the NCAA Division III Championship, to be held November 20-22 on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University.
The senior sparkplug has now given Juniata claim to four of the last five Division III AVCA Player of the Year awards, capturing the award herself in 2007-08, with Stephanie Kines (2006) and Carli Dale (2004) previously earning the honor.
The award is the pinnacle of a brilliant career for Thomas, as she goes down in Juniata's record books as one of the most prolific players in the program's storied history. To date, the senior has recorded 1,703 career kills, placing her sixth all-time in Eagle lore in that category. Thomas also becomes only the second athlete in program history to earn Division III AVCA All-American accolades in each of her four seasons (First-Team 2006-08, Third-Team 2005).
In addition, Thomas has earned Landmark Conference Player of the Year laurels in both her junior and senior seasons and is now a four-time NCAA Division III AVCA All-Region honoree.
Entering this weekend's NCAA national quarterfinals, Thomas is ranked among the nation's leaders in kills per set, pounding down an average of 3.81 bombs per stanza. She also boasts an efficient .309 hitting percentage and averages 2.15 digs and nearly 0.5 blocks per set, making her an all-around performer for veteran Head Coach Larry Bock. Of the 31 matches Thomas saw action in this season, 20 of them ended with her tallying double-digit kill totals.
Thomas' contributions have aided Juniata's continued dominance in the Division III volleyball world. The Eagles, who sport a 34-4 record to date, have not had less than a 30-win season since 1980. Thomas and her teammates locked-up their 28th consecutive conference championship in 2008, and Juniata remains the only program to appear in all 28 Division III National Tournaments.
Thomas and Juniata will face-off against the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Thursday as they begin the hunt for their third championship in the last five years.
Nfinity/AVCA Division III National Players of the Year
2008 Amber Thomas, Juniata College
2007 Amber Thomas, Juniata College
2006 Stephanie Kines, Juniata College
2005 Courtney Rose, Emory University
2004 Carli Dale, Juniata College
2003 Amy Smith, University of La Verne
2002 Rebecca Rotello, Washington University
2001 Allison Erickson, Wisconsin-Whitewater
2000 Candace Wilson, Central College
1999 Abbie Brown, Central College
1998 Abbie Brown, Central College
1997 Jennifer Martz, Washington University
1996 Amy Ward, Wisconsin-Oshkosh
1995 Shelley Swan, Washington University
1994 Amy Albers, Washington University
1993 Amy Albers, Washington University
1992 Lisa Becker, Washington University
Anastasia Nikas, Stony Brook University
1991 Elizabeth Tan, UC San Diego
1990 Kathy Bersett, Washington University
1989 Lori Nishikawa, Washington University
1988 Lori Nishikawa, Washington University
1987 Janet Hughes, UC San Diego
1986 Anne Westerkamp, Benedictine University
1985 Sherri Petrick, Benedictine University
www.AVCA.org
