LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the second straight year, Hampton University senior rightside Vendula Strakova was named All-East Region by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), as the All-Region teams were announced on Tuesday.
Strakova eligible for All-American consideration.
“We are thrilled that Vendy has been recognized again on the 2014 AVCA East All-Region team as one of the top 14 players in the region,” head coach Karen Weatherington said. “She and the team had an incredible season, and this is another product of their hard work. The fact that her talents are being acknowledged among the East Region teams, which includes the ACC, Big East, Atlantic 10, Patriot and Ivy League student-athletes is an amazing feat. It puts an exclamation point on the finish of a historic season.”
Strakova was 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 this past weekend, she leads the nation in total kills with 691, and she is second in the nation in both points and kills per set.
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.
“She never takes solo credit for these type of honors; however, her teammates and the coaching staff are so proud to see her honored as one of the nation's best,” Weatherington said. “She is truly deserving.”