Beaver Falls, PA – It has been a case of so close, yet so far away for Geneva volleyball's outside hitter Adriane Blake for the past two years. The Golden Tornadoes all-time leader in kills per game culminated a brilliant career by leading Geneva to a school record 26-5 overall record in 2010. After receiving back to back second team NCCAA All-American honors in 2008 and 2009, Blake was honored with the school′s first-ever first team selection this week.
The award comes as a consolation prize to Blake and her Geneva teammates. Despite a 26-5 overall record, the Golden Tornadoes were left out of the NCCAA national tournament dance when they did not receive an at-large bid. While the post-season honor is certainly well deserved and a tribute to Blake′s outstanding season, it would have all been traded for a chance to compete on the national stage. “Adriane has enjoyed an amazing career,” said co-head coach Wendy Smith. “We were so hopeful that the committee would recognize her accomplishments even though we didn′t qualify for the national tournament. It was a tremendous year for our program and Adriane was a big reason for our success.”
Blake finished the season at the top of the Presidents′ Athletic statistics with 3.96 kills per game (408 kills). She also shined on the defensive end of the floor with 389 digs (3.78 digs/gm).
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), in conjunction with the NCCAA, made the selections for 2010. This year′s team honors 14 student-athletes, five of which were outside hitters.
In addition to their record 26 victories in 2010, the Golden Tornadoes finished their first ever undefeated home schedule with a mark of 8-0. “It will be difficult to duplicate the accomplishments of this past year,” said Smith. “It will be even more difficult to replace the likes of an Adriane Blake. She has been an absolute blessing from day one for Geneva and for our program.”
Geneva College is a comprehensive Christian college of the arts, sciences and professional studies. Founded in the tradition of the Reformed Christian faith, Geneva prepares students to serve Christ in all areas of society: work, family and the church. Geneva College′s philosophy of education is based on the Foundational Concepts of Christian Higher Education. Geneva is a founding member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).
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