Gator Country

Senior Kristy Jaeckel is the only memeber of the first team that is not a repeat Academic All-American. / Gator Country Photo by Tim Casey.

The awards for the Florida Gators volleyball team just keep on rolling as senior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel won the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America of the Year award for Division I Volleyball. Selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Jaeckel leads the 2011 campaign for the Capital One Academic All-America Division I Volleyball team. The six members of the Capital One Academic All-America Division I Volleyball first team combine for an average of a 3.98 G.P.A.

The Florida senior is the only member of the first team who was not a repeat selection. Jaeckel is joined on the Capital One Academic All-America Division I Volleyball first team by five student-athletes who were chosen to the third team last season.

Given the accolade as the co-winner of the 2011 Southeastern Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year award, the Colorado native led the No. 17 Florida Gators to a 27-6 record this season. Entering the NCAA Tournament for the 21st consecutive time, the senior outside hitter helped aide the then-unranked Orange and Blue to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005.

“She works so hard and does so much for our team,” fellow teammate and junior right-side hitter Tangerine Wiggs said. “She passes for us, she digs balls for us, she blocks balls for us, she has a great hitting efficiency, so we are just so grateful to have a player like her on our team because she makes us all better.”

A three-time All-SEC selection, Jaeckel notched a spot on the first team for the second time this season. A 2011 AVCA Second Team All-America, she led the SEC with 49 service aces on the year. Jaeckel was named AVCA National Player of the Week and SEC Offensive Player of the Week in the same week for her superb performance against Auburn and Georgia on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2.

Being awarded the AVCA National Player of the Week was Jaeckel’s first national weekly honor and made her the only outside hitter in Florida history to ever be bestowed with the accolade. The senior led the Gators with 305 kills on the season to rank seventh in the SEC to go along with 500.5 points for fourth in the SEC.

She was also second on the team registering 2.31 digs per set and finished her career fifth all-time at Florida in attacks (3,405), seventh in kills (1,331), ninth in points (1,588.0) and 10th in block solos (58).

“She scores kills, she digs, she get blocks,” Florida coach Mary Wise said. “That’s just who Kristy is in terms of her play.”

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