Billiard, Ciprian Named to All-ACC Academic Team
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia volleyball sophomore Sarah Billiard (Matthews, N.C.) and freshman Milla Ciprian (St. John’s, Fla.) were named to the All-ACC Academic Volleyball Team, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday (Jan. 30).
The honor is the second for Billiard, who earned a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team as a freshman as well. Ciprian makes her first appearance and gives the Cavaliers a pair of players on the team for the first time since the 2011 season.
Billiard led the Cavaliers with 368 kills in 2018. Her 3.44 kills per set ranked 11th in the ACC to finish the season while the 368 kills were 10th best in the conference. Both marks were career highs for the sophomore, who also set a personal best with 25 kills in a win over George Mason.
The outside hitter produced double-digit kills in 23 matches for the Cavaliers. Billiard topped 20 kills on three different occasions and also posted a career-best hitting percentage of .500 to lead the sweep of North Carolina.
Ciprian makes it two consecutive years a Virginia freshman has earned a spot on the All-ACC Academic Volleyball Team. In her inaugural season on Grounds, Ciprian set a freshman record by averaging 1.35 blocks per set. She became just the fifth rookie to eclipse 100 blocks in a season at Virginia, finishing the campaign with 105.
Ciprian set a Virginia record for blocks in a five-set match with her 13 rejections against Boston College. Her 10 block performance in the sweep of Wake Forest ranks second all-time at Virginia in a three-set match. Ciprian ended the year as the sixth-most prolific blocker in the ACC.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.