Dec. 4, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – In what has become commonplace during her career, University of Notre Dame volleyball standout Jeni Houser has been named third team all-Atlantic Coast Conference in a vote by the league’s 15 head coaches, the league office announced Tuesday.
Houser, who was a second team all-BIG EAST selection as a freshman and had a breakout sophomore campaign by earning first team all-BIG EAST, first team AVCA Northeast all-region and honorable mention AVCA All-America honors, switched to middle blocker during the spring and thrived at the position as she led the Irish in attack percentage (.303), points (394.0) and blocks (117) in 2013. The Louisville, Ky., native was also second in kills (311) and tied for fourth in service aces (14) while playing in all 120 sets for Notre Dame.
“This honor really means a lot to me and I couldn’t have done it without the help of my teammates,” said Houser. “We work really hard both on and off the court and they always have my back whenever things get hard. I really enjoyed my position change this year and I am looking forward to working hard this spring to get ready for next year.”
“When you take into consideration the fact that she moved from the right side to the middle before the season, it’s all the more impressive that she earned all-conference honors,” said head coach Debbie Brown. “She adapted really well to that change and I’m proud of her. She is a model of consistency for our program. One of the things that makes her such a good player is her competitive drive. She’s one of the most competitive players I have seen and that competitiveness is contagious for the program. I’m thankful to have her at Notre Dame.”
During the non-conference slate, Houser earned spots on the all-tournament teams at both of Notre Dame’s home tournaments – the Golden Dome and Shamrock Invitationals – and was named MVP of the latter after leading the Irish to a 3-2 victory over Auburn after trailing 2-0. In that match she had a team-high 18 kills (.531 A%) and a career-best 13 blocks to total an impressive 26.5 points.
In a Nov. 29 victory over Boston College, Houser became just the 21st player in school history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau. She’ll enter her senior season with 1,010 kills (.306 A%) and 276 blocks for 1,190.5 points.
For more information on Notre Dame volleyball be sure to follow the Irish on Facebook (/NDVolleyball) and Twitter (@NDVolleyball).
— Russell Dorn, Assistant Media Relations Director
2013 ACC Volleyball Individual Awards
Player of the Year: Emily Sklar, Sr., OH, Duke
Defensive Player of the Year: Ali McCurdy, Sr., L, Duke
Freshman of the Year: Jasmine Burton, Fr., RS, Virginia
Coach of the Year: Jolene Nagel, Duke
2013 All-ACC Volleyball First Team
Emily Sklar/So./OH/Duke
Ashley Neff #/Sr./MB/Florida State
Jovana Bjelica/Sr./OH/North Carolina
Moneshia Simmons/Sr./OH/Clemson
Savanah Leaf/Jr./OH/Miami
Silvi Uattara/So./OH/Syracuse
Victoria Hamsher/Sr./MB/Virginia Tech
Emani Sims !/ Jr./MB/Miami
Ali McCurdy %/Sr./L/Duke
2013 All-ACC Volleyball Second Team
Nicole Walch/So./OH/Florida State
Jeme Obeime/Jr./OH/Duke
Paige Neuenfeldt/So./MB/North Carolina
Elise Walch/So./OH/Florida State
Lauren Fuller/So./S/Virginia
Chelsea Cook/Sr./MB/Duke
Ashleigh Crutcher !/Jr./OH/Maryland
Alexis Mourning !/Jr./MB/Miami
Katie Mosher/Jr./L/Florida State
2013 All-ACC Volleyball Third Team
Jessica Wynn/Jr./RS/Pittsburgh
Jeni Houser/Jr./MB/Notre Dame
Kathryn Caine/Jr./RS/Virginia Tech
Maggie Deichmeister/Jr./S/Duke
Adreene Elliott/Jr./MH/Maryland
Tori Janowski/Jr./OH/Virginia
Victoria McPherson/So./MB/North Carolina
Jasmine Burton/Fr./RS/Virginia
Ryan Shaffer !/Sr./DS/Miami
! – Two-time selection
# – Three-time selection
% – Four-time selection
All-Freshman Team
Jasmine Burton/Fr./RS/Virginia
Haley Kole/Fr./OH/Virginia
Jordan Tucker/Fr./MB/Duke
Leah Perri/Fr./RS/Clemson
Lindsey Owens/Fr./OH/Virginia Tech
Abigail Curry/Fr./S/North Carolina
–ND–