Dec. 5, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Three members of the Auburn volleyball team were recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association Tuesday as the organization released the All-Region team honorees. Seniors Jesse Earl and Alexa Filley were named to the All-South Region squad, while sophomore Shaina White was named honorable mention.
"I'm so proud of the impact these three have had on our program," head coach Rick Nold said. "Jesse and Alexa will graduate as two of the all-time great players to wear an Auburn jersey and we will certainly miss their leadership. I'm also really happy to see Shaina rewarded for a great first year with the program and can't wait to see her continue to improve these next couple of years."
With their selection, Earl and Filley are now eligible for AVCA All-American consideration. That announcement will be made on December 13.
This year's recognition marked the third straight for Earl as she became the first Tiger in program history to earn as many while on the Plains. The libero from Indianapolis put together another outstanding season for Auburn in the back row as she once again led all SEC student-athletes with a 5.19 digs/set average. That mark finished first in Auburn single-season history.
In addition, the two-time All-SEC performer reached 500+ digs for the third-consecutive year, having 529. Earl recorded double-digit digs in 26 of 27 matches played, including 12 with 20 or more. She set a career high with 36 digs in the team's five-set win at Tennessee (Oct. 4), tying a single-match program record.
Earl excelled from the service line as well, leading the Tigers with 42 aces on the year. Her .41 aces/set mark ranked third among the league and set an Auburn single-season (rally scoring only) record. She also contributed offensively, adding 120 assists.
Filley's All-South Team honor is the first of her career after picking up honorable mention nods the last two seasons. The setter set a new single-season (rally scoring only) record in 2017, averaging 10.72 assists/set. That mark finished fourth in the SEC as she totaled 1,093 assists over 102 sets played.
The Louisville product had four matches with 50 or more assists, including a season-high 57 at Florida State (Sept. 16). Filley also totaled a career-best 20 double-doubles (assists/digs), which finished second among SEC student-athletes.
The two-time All-SEC honoree had a solid year defensively, finishing second on the squad with a 3.00 digs/set average and adding 39 blocks. Filley totaled a season-best 21 digs vs. Tennessee (11/9), while having a season-best five blocks on the road at Ole Miss (9/22).
The AVCA honorable mention nod is the first for White, who transferred to the Plains following her freshman season at Northeastern in 2016. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native had a team-best .367 hitting percentage on the year, finishing seventh among SEC opponents.
White totaled 12 matches hitting .400 or better at middle blocker, while having six matches with no hitting errors. She finished with 16 double-digit kill performances, coming in second on the team with 276 kills and a 2.71 kills/set average. White set a career best on the road, having 19 kills at Tennessee (Oct. 4).
Defensively, White came in second on the team with 51 blocks for a .50 blocks/set average. She reached a career high in the team's SEC opener, having seven at Ole Miss (Sept. 22).
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