Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: Mark Waldron
Alexa Smith Named Candidate For 2018 Senior CLASS Award
October 01, 2018 | Volleyball
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The University of Colorado All-American senior Alexa Smith has been named a candidate for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award Monday morning as a volleyball student-athlete who excels both on and off the court.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence; community, classroom, character and competition.
Smith, a senior from Colorado Springs, is the captain of the Buffs and most recently became the 16th player in school history to hit for 1,000 career kills. She has led the Buffs in kills in all three seasons at CU and is currently 13th in school history in career kills with 1,066. She is also 22nd in career digs with 808 and 10th in total attacks, all in just three seasons.
The senior, who started her career with a season at Purdue, was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team last season and finished as an AVCA Second Team All-American after helping lead the Buffaloes to their first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in 20 years.
Off the court Smith continues to excel on high levels. Smith was named to the Dean's List last fall and has a 3.28 GPA in Marketing. Last season she earned a Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention as a starter with a GPA greater than 3.0.
The Senior CLASS Award focuses on an Acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. There are 30 candidates, which will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season. The finalists will be placed on a ballot to be voted on nationwide by media, coaches and fans to vote on the candidate who best exemplifies excellence in community, classroom, character and competition.
Smith is joined by Stanford's Tami Alade as the lone Pac-12 representatives. Two schools, Creighton and Illinois, have a pair of seniors on the list of 30 individuals. Of the 30 candidates, 15 are returning All-Americans.
Volleyball Candidates
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence; community, classroom, character and competition.
Smith, a senior from Colorado Springs, is the captain of the Buffs and most recently became the 16th player in school history to hit for 1,000 career kills. She has led the Buffs in kills in all three seasons at CU and is currently 13th in school history in career kills with 1,066. She is also 22nd in career digs with 808 and 10th in total attacks, all in just three seasons.
The senior, who started her career with a season at Purdue, was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team last season and finished as an AVCA Second Team All-American after helping lead the Buffaloes to their first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in 20 years.
Off the court Smith continues to excel on high levels. Smith was named to the Dean's List last fall and has a 3.28 GPA in Marketing. Last season she earned a Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention as a starter with a GPA greater than 3.0.
The Senior CLASS Award focuses on an Acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. There are 30 candidates, which will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season. The finalists will be placed on a ballot to be voted on nationwide by media, coaches and fans to vote on the candidate who best exemplifies excellence in community, classroom, character and competition.
Smith is joined by Stanford's Tami Alade as the lone Pac-12 representatives. Two schools, Creighton and Illinois, have a pair of seniors on the list of 30 individuals. Of the 30 candidates, 15 are returning All-Americans.
Volleyball Candidates
| Kamalani Akeo, Pittsburgh | Courtney Pence, Illinois State |
| Tami Alade, Stanford | Jordan Poulter, Illinois |
| Rachel Anderson, Western Kentucky | Colleen Reilly, Wofford |
| Ali Bastianelli, Illinois | Michela Rucli, Hofstra |
| Lauren Bruns, Dayton | Jess Schaben, Iowa State |
| Santita Ebangwese, Syracuse | Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Minnesota |
| Gabrielle Eyl, Northeastern | Carly Skjodt, Michigan |
| Mikaela Foecke, Nebraska | Alexa Smith, Colorado |
| Cara Guthrie, UNC Asheville | Kirstyn Sperry, Bryant |
| Erica Haslag, Bradley | Haley Templeton, Miami |
| Taryn Kloth, Creighton | Abby Thelen, Seton Hall |
| Haley Libs, Northern Kentucky | Jaila Tolbert, Virginia Tech |
| AJ Lux, East Tennessee State | Erica Treiber, Tennessee |
| Patricia Mattingly, Navy | Jaali Winters, Creighton |
| Alyssa Munlyn, Missouri | Karley York, North Texas |
Players Mentioned
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