UVa's Kirkwood Named To All-ACC Volleyball First Team

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Nov. 29, 2005

GREENSBORO, N.C. – University of Virginia second-year outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood (Tampa, Fla./Plant) is one of 10 players named to the 2005 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Volleyball First Team as selected by the league’s 12 head coaches. First-year middle Shannon Davis (Austin, Texas/Westlake) also received postseason conference honors as she was one of six players selected to the 2005 ACC All-Freshmen Team. A total of 18 players were named to the All-ACC first and second-teams.

With her selection to the All-ACC First Team, Kirkwood becomes the sixth player in school history to garner All-ACC honors at least twice. As a first-year in 2004, Kirkwood was named to the All-ACC Second Team and also became the first UVa player to be named ACC Freshman of the Year. Davis is the 11th Cavalier to earn ACC All-Freshmen honors, and with her selection Virginia has had a member of the ACC All-Freshmen Team for six consecutive seasons.

The 6-0 Kirkwood had a spectacular 2005 season for UVa while playing in all 120 games over 31 matches. She became the first sophomore in ACC history to register 1,000 career kills. Kirkwood, who was named the ACC Player of the Week on October 10, has tallied 1,085 kills in two seasons and already stands seventh on UVa’s all-time kills list. She is the first Cavalier to total 500 kills in two different seasons.

In 2005, Kirkwood led the Cavaliers with 531 kills (4.43 per game) and in service aces with 69. Her average of 0.57 aces per game led the ACC and the 69 aces are the third-highest single season mark in school history. She had a career best .296 hitting percentage, including .303 in conference play, and tallied 271 digs (2.26 per game). Kirkwood led the team with 13 double-doubles in kills and digs and registered double figures in kills in the final 30 matches of the season.

Davis had an excellent rookie campaign for Virginia in 2005. She started 27 of the 29 matches she appeared in and played in 112 games. The 6-0 middle was fourth in the team with 301 kills for an average of 2.69 per game. She totaled 214 kills (2.71 per game) in ACC action. Davis ranked among the ACC leaders with a .292 overall hitting percentage and a .307 mark in conference play. She was second on the team with 91 total blocks for an average of 0.81 per game and also recorded 59 blocks (0.75 per game) in ACC competition.

The Cavaliers concluded the 2005 season with a 20-11 overall record and finished fourth in the ACC standings at 15-7.