Dec. 16, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. – Georgia Tech junior setter Mary Ashley Tippins and freshman right-side hitter Monique Mead were each named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) honorable mention All-Americans it was announced today. It’s the first career honor for each of them.
Tippins and Mead become the 10th and 11th Yellow Jackets to receive AVCA All-America honors, and Georgia Tech has now had at least one player earn the distinction in each of the last seven years. Tippins was a first-team all-region pick, while Mead was an honorable mention selection.
Tippins also earned her first career all-conference honor as she ranks first in the ACC and 18th nationally dishing out 11.27 assists per set. She recorded her first career double-double Oct. 4 at Miami with 60 assists and 10 digs and now has four in the last two months. Tippins is seventh in the ACC with 0.31 service aces per set and is chipping in with 1.92 digs per set as well. Despite playing in just 40 matches over her first two seasons, Tippins ranks sixth in Tech history averaging 10.25 assists per set and is eighth with 2,334 career helpers.
Mead was named the ACC Freshman of the Year and was also a first-team all-conference pick for the Yellow Jackets. Mead, who was also named to the All-Freshman team, is Tech’s first ACC Freshman of the Year since Lauren Sauer won the award in 200. Mead is second on the team and seventh in the ACC averaging 3.07 kills per set this year. She reached double-figures in 22 of Tech’s 30 matches and tallied at least 15 kills in five matches. That includes a career-high 21 against Miami on Nov. 13. Mead is also averaging 1.94 digs per set and 0.77 blocks. In the Jackets’ NCAA Tournament loss to Baylor, Mead just missed a double-double as she had 12 kills and nine digs.
Mead and Tippins led Tech to its first NCAA Tournament since 2004. Under first-year head coach Tonya Johnson, the Yellow Jackets went 21-10 and finished third in the ACC. The Jackets lost to Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles, Calif. The Bears went on to upset No. 8 UCLA and advanced to the Sweet 16.
