SLU's McCloud Selected Sports Imports/AVCA National Volleyball Player of the Week

McCloud, the reigning Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Week, helped SLU upset No. 3 Stanford in the final match of last weekend's Billiken Invitational

<blank>

Sept. 9, 2008

ST. LOUIS - Awards continue to pile up for Saint Louis' Sammi McCloud on the heels of one of the biggest victories in Billiken volleyball history. The latest honor bestowed upon the junior right-side hitter is perhaps the most prestigious of all, the Sports Imports/AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Division I National Player of the Week.

"I couldn't be more proud of Sammi," Billiken head volleyball coach Anne Kordes said. "(Against Stanford) she put on one of the gutsiest performances that I've ever seen in my career as a player or coach. There is no doubt that she deserves this award. This is huge. I'm so happy for her."

McCloud, the reigning Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Week, helped SLU upset No. 3 Stanford in the final match of last weekend's Billiken Invitational. She turned in a match- and team season-high 19 kills in the Billikens' 3-1 victory over the Cardinal. McCloud hit .280 against Stanford and completed a double-double with a season-best 14 digs. In the tournament opener against No. 19 Illinois, she narrowly missed a double-double with a team-high 13 kills and nine digs. McCloud, who averaged a team-best 4.08 kills per set in the tournament, also led SLU in kills against William & Mary with 17 in addition to nine digs.

For the season, McCloud is averaging a team-high 3.73 kills per set, a mark that ranks fourth in the A-10. She also averages 2.77 digs per set while compiling the second-most blocks on the squad with 14. The junior has been named to both All-Tournament teams this season, picking up Tournament MVP honors at the season-opening Best Western Miami (Ohio) Invitational on Aug. 30.

McCloud is the third Billiken to be recognized as the AVCA National Player of the Week. Colleen Hunter earned the accolade on Oct. 16, 2000, and Stephanie Feulner was named National Player of the Week on Oct. 9, 1995. She is also the first A-10 player to earn the award since Lauren Maselli ('97) of Rhode Island on Nov. 18, 1996.

The Billikens, who received 134 votes in the latest CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Division I Top 25 Poll, return to action in the Utah Classic in Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday, Sept. 12.