Volleyball MEAC Media Relations

MEAC ANNOUNCES VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced the 2006 volleyball all-conference teams, including Player, Rookie and Coach of the Year honors, Thursday night at the 2006 MEAC Volleyball Championship Awards Banquet held on the campus of Hampton University. Florida A&M University senior Maria Andonova was named the 2006 MEAC Player of the Year, as voted by the MEAC Head Volleyball Coaches and Sports Information Directors.

Andonova (5-9, Sofia, Bulgaria), last year’s Outstanding Tournament Performer and a two-time All-MEAC selection, earned Player of the Year accolades after leading the MEAC and ranking second in the nation with 5.93 kills per game. In addition to kills per game, Andonova leads the MEAC in hitting percentage (.305), and points per game (6.89) and is second in the league with 0.67 aces per game. The outside hitter has tallied six double-double performances and recorded 20-plus kills 11 times this year, including a MEAC record in kill performances with 42 on two separate occasions.

Romona Riley-Bozier of Morgan State took home Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time in her career and the first time since the 1998 season. Riley-Bozier led her team to a 21-8 finish and a 9-1 conference record, including an undefeated 9-0 home stand in her 19th year at the helm of the Lady Bears. The 9-1 mark was their best finish since 2002, when they also completed the regular season with only one loss in MEAC play. The Lady Bears finished with 20 or more wins for the 10th time this year and the first time since the 2004 season.

Morgan State University freshman Ivanti Bush (5-5, Spokane, Washington) garnered Rookie of the Year accolades. Bush is listed among the top performers in MEAC statistics and led her team in kills per game (4.08), hitting percentage (.221) and points (4.75). The rookie is third on her team with 0.36 aces per game and 2.80 digs per game. She recorded six 20-plus kill performances, along with 12 double-doubles during the regular season.

Joining Andonova on the 2006 All-MEAC Volleyball First Team are teammates Marrita Royster-Crockett, Zaira Manzo and Rosa Rojas. Royster-Crockett, a transfer from Florida State, ranks second in the MEAC and 26th in the nation with 4.68 kills per game. Manzo led the conference with 11.52 assists per game, while teammate Rojas led the MEAC and ranked 28th in the nation with 5.54 digs per game.

North Carolina A&T’s Arlene Mitchell was also named to the All-MEAC First Team after earning second team honors in 2004 and 2005. Morgan State junior Ashley Preston, an All-MEAC selection for the third straight year, completes the first team honorees.

The 2006 MEAC Volleyball Championship begins on Friday, Nov.17 in Holland Hall on the campus of Hampton University. Two games tip-off at 11 a.m., as five-time defending champion and top seeded, Florida A&M face No. 8 Howard, and No. 4 Maryland Eastern Shore plays No. 5 Delaware State.