10 volleyball finalists have been named for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award. The annual honor is given to a player with expiring eligibility in 10 different NCAA Division I sports that is designed to recognize players who stuck out all 4 years in college and have used their platform in athletics to make positive impacts via 4 areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
The list of 10 was whittled by a selection committee from the original 30. The winner in each sport will be chosen by a combination of fan votes, media votes, and votes of Division I head coaches.
Among the finalists are 5 players from the Big Ten, including outside hitter Mikaela Foecke of the defending NCAA Champion Nebraska Cornhuskers. She has a 2.649 GPA majoring in animal science and is a 6-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. On the court, she is a two-time NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player recipient, which makes her one of only 4 players in NCAA Championship history to accomplish that, and the only to do so in non-consecutive years (2015 and 2017).
Foecke, backed by the largest and most passionate volleyball fanbase in the country, is the early leader in fan voting with 31.6% of the vote. Samantha Seliger-Swenson of Minnesota is 2nd with 18%.
The University of Illinois, a team currently ranked 5th in the country, has two nominees: Ali Bastianelli and Jordyn Poulter.
Full List of Finalists, with links to individual bios.
| Name | Position | School |
|---|---|---|
| Tami Alade | Middle Blocker | Stanford University |
| Ali Bastianelli | Middle Blocker | University of Illinois |
| Lauren Bruns | Outside Hitter | University of Dayton |
| Santita Ebangwese | Outside Hitter | Syracuse University |
| Mikaela Foecke | Outside Hitter | University of Nebraska |
| Taryn Kloth | Outside Hitter | Creighton University |
| Haley Libs | Outside Hitter | Northern Kentucky University |
| Courtney Pence | Libero | Illinois State University |
| Jordyn Poulter | Setter | University of Illinois |
| Samantha Seliger-Swenson | Setter | University of Minnesota |
