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Virginia's Ashcraft And Chaney Earn All-ACC Accolades
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Nov. 20, 2002
GREENSBORO, N.C. – University of Virginia volleyball players Whitney Ashcraft (Yorktown, Ind./Burris) and Kristin Chaney (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) have earned 2002 All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors as voted by the league’s nine head volleyball coaches. Ashcraft, a third-year, has been selected to the All-ACC First Team, while Chaney, a first-year, garnered ACC All-Freshmen honors.
Ashcraft was selected as the libero on the 2002 All-ACC First Team and is one of seven league players to garner first-team honors. She is the first player to earn All-Conference honors as a libero (the NCAA began using the libero this season). Ashcraft led all ACC players in digs per game with an average of 4.17. Ashcraft, who was ranked among the national leaders in digs per game during the first half of the season, has tallied 463 digs in 111 games. Her 463 digs are the fourth highest single season total in school history. Ashcraft registered a career-best 29 digs against Clemson (September 27) this season which ties for the eighth best single match total in school history. She has reached double figures in digs in 26 of 32 matches this season.
Chaney is one of six players named to the 2002 ACC All-Freshmen Team. Head coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton has used Chaney in multiple roles this season. She began the year as a defensive specialist after playing middle blocker in high school. When starting setter Lily Phillips went down with a sprained ankle in the Cavaliers’ fifth match of the season, Chaney stepped in as the team’s setter. She started 12 consecutive and a total of 13 matches at setter for UVa and averaged 10.2 assists per game. Chaney has tallied 511 assists (4.82 per game) and 179 digs (1.69 per game) this season. She is also fifth on the team with 26 service aces. Chaney has played in all 32 of Virginia’s matches this season, starting 18. She has also appeared in 106 of the 111 games UVa has played in 2002.
The Cavaliers stand at 8-24 overall and 2-14 in the ACC and are seeded eighth in the 2002 ACC Championship which takes place November 21-24 in Atlanta, Ga. at Georgia Tech’s O’Keefe Gym. Virginia will play ninth-seeded N.C. State in the first round on Thursday evening (November 21) at 7:30 p.m.