DANBURY, Conn. – Hampton University senior rightside Vendula Strakova was named ECAC Offensive Player of the Year, as the Eastern College Athletic Conference announced its 2014 Division I All-Star Teams on Monday.
Strakova was also named Honorable Mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), and last week she was named Player of the Year by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID).
She was also named MEAC Player of the Year for the second straight season, on top of again earning Most Outstanding Player honors in the MEAC Tournament. Through the end of the season, she leads the nation in total kills with 691, and she is second in the nation in both points and kills per set.
She was also named AVCA All-East Region for the second straight year.
The eight-time MEAC Player of the Week broke her own program record for most kills in a single season, and Strakova also broke the program record for most career kills, finishing her three-year stint at Hampton with 1,725 career kills.
She was also a three-time ECAC Player of the Week, and on Sept. 2, Strakova was named AVCA Div. I National Player of the Week – the second time in her career that she’s earned that honor.
On top of leading the MEAC in kills and points, Strakova was second in the conference in hitting percentage (.335), fifth in aces (0.34 per set), and ninth in digs (2.99 per set). Strakova had 21 double-doubles on the season, including 13 kills and 10 digs on Friday against North Carolina.
Her career-high 35 kills against Coppin State in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament are also a school record. Strakova recorded three 30-kill matches on the season.
Dating back to 2012, Strakova has recorded double-digit kills in 73 straight matches.
Led by Strakova, the Lady Pirates set a program Div. I record with 21 wins, winning a share of the MEAC Northern Division crown and their second straight MEAC Tournament championship. Prior to their NCAA Tournament appearance, the Lady Pirates had won 16 of their last 18 matches.
Wisconsin’s Taylor Morey was named ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Penn State’s Haleigh Washington was named Rookie of the Year.
Wisconsin’s Kelly Sheffield was named ECAC Coach of the Year.