Schultz receives another honor
Just days after returning to the AVCA’s South Central region team for a second time, the NAIA and American Volleyball Coaches Association tabbed senior Jessica Schultz as an All-America honorable mention, the organizations announced on Monday, Dec. 9.
Schultz, a middle hitter from Windsor, Colo., paced the Golden Eagles to another outstanding season that featured a 26-8 record and its highest finish in the
Sooner Athletic final standings since 2006. The three-time All-SAC first team selection and the 2019 SAC Hitter of the Year finished the campaign hitting .346 (306-89-628), the 15th-best mark among NAIA attackers. Schultz led the squad in hitting percentage, kills (306), kills per set (2.64) and points per set (3.20).
“Well deserved,” head coach Ken Carver noted. “Those are the first words that came to mind when finding out Jessica had earned honorable mention All-American honors. Jessica had not just another outstanding season for our team, but did it all while involved with her nursing clinical rotation, adjusting to being a newlywed and balancing those two important areas with our demanding volleyball schedule. As a senior, she had statistical numbers nearly identical to her sophomore year, which is when she earned honorable mention accolades. As a four year starter for our program, Jessica is leaving a legacy as one of the top-ranked middle hitters in program history.
“Over her career, Jessica finished with 1,065 kills (14th all-time), a career .305 attack efficiency (13th all-time) and 406 blocks (9th all-time). Anytime a player can average over 250 kills and 100 blocks per season, you know they are special. Jessica matured from being a very good player coming in as a freshman to a dominant, go-to player as a senior. She, along with the other members of the senior class, really helped propel the program forward. I’m so very happy for her to receive this honor and proud of her accomplishments this season and during her entire career. She has been a model of excellence on the court and in the classroom - a truly great honor to cap off a great season and even more impressive career.”
Schultz is the only volleyball student-athlete to earn the national recognition since Audrey Dearien ‘15.