University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Formico Pac-12 Libero of the Year
December 01, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
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SAN FRANCISCO - Junior Taylor Formico was named Pac-12 Libero of the Year on Tuesday, as announced by the league, and was one of six Bruins recognized on the All-Conference Teams. Junior Jordan Anderson was named All-Pac-12 First Team, while Formico and fellow juniors Claire Felix and Jennie Frager, sophomore Reily Buechler and freshman Zana Muno all earned Honorable Mention accolades. Muno was also named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.
The six Bruins honored are tied for the most All-Conference awards in school history. The 1999 squad also had six players recognized.
The Pac-12 Libero of the Year award has been handed out since 2011 and Formico's honor is the first for the Bruins. It is Formico's second straight year she has been named All-Pac-12, earning Honorable Mention accolades in 2014. Formico has started all 30 matches and is tops on the squad with 4.57 digs per set and second with 18 service aces. She is third among Pac-12 players in dps and first in conference-only matches (4.86). Formico has 27 double-figure digs matches, surpassing 20 on nine occasions, including six in a row entering the postseason. Her season best came at Arizona on Nov. 22 when Formico posted a UCLA career high and conference-best 35 digs. She added 28 digs in last Wednesday's upset win at top-ranked USC.
Anderson picked up a First Team honor in her inaugural season in Westwood, as she leads the Bruins with 4.49 kills and 4.76 points per set, ranking second among conference players in both categories. She is also 15th in the nation in kps and 32nd in pps, adding 0.97 digs and 0.40 blocks per set. Anderson has double figures in kills in 28 of 30 matches, getting to at least 20 on nine occasions. Her season high in kills is 25, coming at Oregon on Oct. 23 and against Utah on Nov. 6. Anderson has led the team in kills in 24 contests and was named Most Valuable Player for pre-conference tournaments at Hawai'i and UCSB.
Buechler, who was All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention for the second year in a row, is second on the team with 3.40 kills and 3.76 points per set, adding 2.03 digs per set and 16 service aces. She has reached double figures in kills in 19 matches, adding an ace in 13 contests and ranking second on the team with five double-doubles. Buechler posted a pair of outstanding matches against Arizona. On Oct. 16, she notched her first career match with zero hitting errors, tallying 16 kills in 31 attempts for a .516 hitting percentage. Buechler then went for a personal-best 26 kills at Arizona on Nov. 22.
Felix received her first All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention award and leads all hitters with a .375 hitting percentage (fifth in the Pac-12 and 42nd nationally). She is also first with 25 block solos and second with 0.95 blocks per set, adding 2.00 kills, 2.61 points and 0.50 digs per set. Felix has recorded at least four kills and one or no errors in 14 contests. She has seven double-figure kills matches, ending the regular season with four in a row, including a career-best 16 against Stanford last Friday. Felix has twice hit for a .667 percentage (at Utah, Oct. 9; at USC). Defensively, she has nine matches with at least five blocks, including a season-best six on five occasions.
Frager is tops on the team with 1.11 blocks per set, which ranks ninth among Pac-12 players, adding 1.34 kills per set and 10 service aces. She has at least five blocks in a match on 12 occasions, recording a career-best nine at Long Beach State on Sept. 18, and has led the Bruins in blocks in 15 contests. Frager also has three double-figure kills outings, with her best match coming at home against Arizona State on Oct. 18 when she had a career-high 12 kills in an error-free 17 attempts for a .706 hitting percentage. It is Frager's first All-Pac-12 award.
Muno, a two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, leads the team with 10.17 assists per set (third in the Pac-12) and is second with 3.33 digs per set, adding 41 kills, 12 aces and 30 blocks. Muno is the team leader in double-doubles with 16, recording one in 11 of her last 12 matches. She reached 50 assists in four contests, posting a career-high 59 at Arizona State on Nov. 20. Muno's season best in digs came at Oregon State (Oct. 25) when she had 24, adding two other 20-plus dig contests.
The Bruins, seeded 14th in the NCAA Tournament, open up postseason play on Friday against Lipscomb at 8 p.m. at the John Wooden Center. The match will feature free live video on UCLABruins.com.
UCLA All-Pac-12 Conference Honors
Pac-12 Libero of the Year
Taylor Formico
All-Pac-12 Conference First Team
Jordan Anderson
All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention Team
Reily Buechler
Claire Felix
Taylor Formico
Jennie Frager
Zana Muno
All-Pac-12 Freshman Team
Zana Muno
