OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - ETSU's AJ Lux and Wofford's Colleen Reilly were two of 30 Division 1 senior volleyball players named candidates for the Senior CLASS Award.
Lux is a Criminal Justice and Criminology major and has helped the Bucs earn their ninth straight AVCA Academic Award this past year in 2018. She has had a great start to her senior season recording double-digit kills in most matches so far this season. She’s second on the team in kills and kills per set and has played a major role in ETSU’s offensive success. She helped lead the Bucs to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012 after the Bucs won the 2017 Southern Conference title.
Reilly, a senior from Chicago, Illinois, has been named First Team All-SoCon for two consecutive years and has been a key figure in the 2018 lineup, totaling 167 kills with an attack percentage of .296. In the classroom, the middle blocker sports a 3.67 grade point average with a major in biology and a minor in Spanish. Reilly's efforts in the community include her participation in the Student-Athletic Advisory Committee, the Habitat for Humanity and volunteering for various reading groups.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
Of the 30 candidates, 18 have grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher and 27 have received academic all-conference honors. Fifteen are returning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Americans, and 10 are members of teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. Outside of academics and athletics, all candidates have been consistently involved in community service on their campus or in their communities.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches, and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character, and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in December.