Waves Honored in West Coast Conference Awards
12/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
MALIBU, Calif. - Samantha Cash, Katie Messing and Becca Strehlow of the Pepperdine women's volleyball team all earned notice in the 2014 All-West Coast Conference awards, as announced today by the league office. All three were awarded a spot on the honorable mention team.
The annual WCC awards are determined exclusively through the voting of the league's 10 coaches.
Cash (San Diego, Calif./Canyon Crest Academy) made her third appearance on the All-WCC team, following a season that saw the senior lead the Waves with 117 blocks and 37 aces. Her four-year block total of 447 ranks third all-time in the program's 40-year history.
On the offensive front, Cash really shined in WCC play. She put down 10 or more kills in seven conference matches, including a season-high 16 at Portland. Cash, the 2011 WCC Freshman of the Year and 2013 All-WCC first-team selection, ended her Pepperdine indoor career with 903 kills.
Messing (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) is making her second-straight appearance on the All-WCC honorable mention squad in 2014. The outside hitter paced the Waves and ranked 10th in the league with a season kills average of 3.44. In her four years, she has tallied 1,085 kills which ranks 14th in the program annals. She is just the 17th Wave to surpass the 1,000 kills milestone.
Strehlow (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) was perhaps Pepperdine's best all-around performer in 2014, excelling in all statistical categories. She handed out 8.31 assists per set, splitting the year between a 6-2 and a 5-1 offense. She earned three kills-digs-assists triple doubles in the 6-2 offense, setting from the back row and hitting from the front.
On the defensive side, she led the Waves with 3.45 digs per set and ranked third on the squad with 60 total blocks. From the service line, Strehlow was one of five players to chart at least 20 aces.
Strehlow was an All-WCC honorable mention in 2013 as well before going on to receive acclaim as an AVCA All-American honorable mention.
The Waves finish the season with a 12-18 record. They finished seventh in the West Coast Conference with a 7-11 record.
Cash, Messing and Strehlow will all continue the year as returning members of the national championship-winning Pepperdine sand volleyball team.
2014 West Coast Conference Co-Coaches of the Year
Greg Gibbons, Pacific and Shawn Olmstead, BYU
2014 West Coast Conference Player of the Year
Alexa Gray, BYU
2014 West Coast Conference Defender of the Year
Whitney Young, BYU
2014 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year
Kirsten Mead, Santa Clara
2014 All-WCC Volleyball First Team
Name-Yr.- Pos.-School
Savannah Blinn, Jr., OH, Gonzaga
Alaysia Brown, Sr., RS, San Diego
Caitlin DeWitt, Sr., OPP, Loyola Marymount
Alexa Gray, Jr., OH, BYU
Jennifer Hamson, Sr., OPP, BYU
Nikki Hess, So., OH, Santa Clara
Gillian Howard, Sr., MB, Pacific
Litara Keil, Sr., MB, Loyola Marymount
Kat Schulz, Jr., OPP, Pacific
Hannah Tedrow, Jr., S, Loyola Marymount
Whitney Young, So., MB, BYU
Valentina Zaloznik, Sr., MB, San Francisco
2014 WCC Volleyball Honorable Mention
Jianna Bonomi, San Diego; Amy Boswell, BYU; Samantha Cash, Pepperdine; Sabrina Clayton, Santa Clara; Lexi Elman, Pacific; Canace Finley, San Diego; Natalie Loos, Saint Mary's; Kirsten Mead, Santa Clara; Katie Messing, Pepperdine; Taylor Milton, Santa Clara; Dani Rottman, Santa Clara; Becca Strehlow, Pepperdine
2014 All-WCC Volleyball Freshman Team
Name-Pos.-School
Natasha Calkins, MB, Santa Clara
Kristen Castellanos, LIB, Loyola Marymount
Kaity Edwards, MB, Santa Clara
Kristen Gengenbacher, S, San Diego
Katrin Gotterba, LIB, Pacific
Kimberly Guttierez, LIB, San Francisco
Jayden Kennedy, RS, San Diego
Kirsten Mead, S, Santa Clara
Clare Powers, OH, Saint Mary's
Alexis Salmons, MB, Saint Mary's
Andie Shelton, S, Pacific
Sarah Sponcil, OH, Loyola Marymount
