THE POY

[weaver]

Ohio State's Stacey Gordon and Stanford's Ogonna Nnamani Share AVCA Division I National Player of the Year

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced today that Ohio State University senior outside hitter Stacey Gordon and Stanford University senior outside hitter Ogonna Nnamani were named the 2004 American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Co-National Players of the Year. Both players are four-time AVCA All-Americans.

The presentations were made at the AVCA All-America/Players of the Year Banquet in Long Beach, Calif. The banquet was held in conjunction with the AVCA Annual Convention.

Gordon hit .359 for the season while averaging 7.08 kills, 0.32 aces, 3.73 digs and 0.55 blocks per game. She led the Buckeyes into the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship regional final in 2004. She led the Buckeyes in kills (842), aces (38) and digs (444) en route to being named the Big Ten Player of the Year. Her 7.08 kills per game average leads the country and ranks third all-time in NCAA Division I. Gordon contributed double-figure kills in all 34 matches this season with 20-or-more kills in 26 matches. Her career included double-figure kills in her last 110 matches and in 123 of 125 total matches. Gordon was named the Big Ten Player of the Week five times this season, an honor she has won a conference-record 16 times in her career. She was honored as the Sports/Imports AVCA National Player of the Week in matches against Xavier and Georgia Tech this season. Gordon broke the Ohio State and Big Ten career kills record this season and finished with 2,798. Her 1,572 career digs is an Ohio State record. Gordon was the AVCA National Freshman of the Year in 2001.

Nnamani was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year and has led the Cardinal into the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship semifinals. She averages 6.04 kills and 6.75 points per game in her senior campaign. Nnamani, who was named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Year on Sept. 20, 2004, adds 2.25 digs and 0.67 blocks per game on defense for Stanford. She has posted 34 double-digit kill matches this season with three 30-plus kill performances. Nnamani hits at a .344 clip on 1,693 attacks in 2004. She has reached double-figure kills in her last 63 matches with 2,368-career kills with the Cardinal, a Pac-10 record. Nnamani also played on the United States Olympic indoor volleyball team that competed in Athens this past summer. She was selected as ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year for volleyball in the university division this season. Earlier this week Nnamani also was named a NCAA Today's Top VIII Award recipient for academic and athletics achievements, character and leadership.

Previous AVCA Division I Players of the Year:
2004: Stacey Gordon (Ohio State); Ogonna Nnamani (Stanford)
2003: Kim Willoughby (Hawai'i)
2002: Logan Tom (Stanford)
2001: Logan Tom (Stanford)
2000: Greichaly Cepero (Nebraska)
1999: Lauren Cacciamani (Penn State); Kerri Walsh (Stanford)
1998: Misty May (Long Beach State)
1997: Misty May (Long Beach State)
1996: Angelica Ljungquist (Hawai'i )
1995: Cary Wendell (Stanford); Allison Weston (Nebraska)
1994: Laura Davis (Ohio State)
1993: Danielle Scott (Long Beach State)
1992: Natalie Williams (UCLA)
1991: Antoinnette White (Long Beach State)
1990: Bev Oden (Stanford)
1989: Tara Cross (Long Beach State); Teee Williams (Hawai'i)
1988: Tara Cross (Long Beach State)
1987: Teee Williams (Hawai'i)
1986: Mariliisa Salmi (BYU)
1985: Kim Oden (Stanford)

[GatorVball]

Congrats to both ladies, very deserving.

[saywho]

Congrats to both! They are both phenomenal ladies and phenomenal players

[rayb_14]

i think this was the best thing to do this year. Congrats to ON and SG.

[Serendipity]

I agree. It's the best of both worlds!

[Gorf]

Congratulations to both amazing young ladies.

[ManoaFan]

Both women among girls.

[roofed!]

Big congratulations to both ladies on capping their stellar collegiate careers with national player of the year recognition.

[beachman]

A fitting end to this saga. Stacey Gordon earned it that's for sure and you just had to feel that Ogonna would warrant the award too,,,,,4 time A.A. Olympian, member of a Stanford Team that made the FF, which is almost always a requirement to win this award. It was fair, all said and done....congrats to both they are both tremendous student athletes!

[Gorf]

Ogacey Gordmani 2004 POY.

[StanfordFan]

The said:

Ogacey Gordmani 2004 POY.

As I recall, two years ago, it was the Logonna Tomani show.

[GatorVball]

The said:

Ogacey Gordmani 2004 POY.

What about Stagonna Nnamordon?

[Gorf]

GatorVball said:

What about Stagonna Nnamordon?

Both, or all four, would be welcome on the VT national team for the 2008 Olympics.

[Orpheus]

StanfordFan said:

As I recall, two years ago, it was the Logonna Tomani show.

Three years ago, in the regional final of Stanford v TAMU, Angie Kammer invented my namesake. It was thoroughly entertaining as she referred to ON all match long as nnanami, and sometimes ogami. I think I even heard nnamunna. She was calling out Logan for something as well and referred to her as Logonna, which I thought was hilarious and chose that name for my VT handle.

[bigfan]

Congratulations to great players and people.