Anderson Selected as Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Candidate

Lincoln - Nebraska senior setter Sydney Anderson was one of 30 women's volleyball players from around the country selected on Thursday as a candidate for the first-ever Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in volleyball.

A two-time AVCA All-American for Head Coach John Cook during her first two season at Nebraska, Anderson is one of four seniors on Nebraska's 2010 squad that enters the season ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Coach's Poll. Already the eighth setter in Nebraska history to earn multiple All-America honors, Anderson will look to become just the third setter in school history to earn All-America accolades three times during in their career this season.

Last season, Anderson ranked second in the Big 12 and 13th nationally in assists with 11.53 per set. A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, she also totaled a team high 14 double-doubles in 2010 (assists-digs), while also adding 0.77 kills and 2.45 digs per set.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. 

The 2010 candidate class includes eight American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Americans from last season. Twenty of the 30 have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. Two of the candidates were recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America as 2009 Academic All-Americans, and 12 are members of teams ranked in the AVCA's preseason top 25 poll. Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award® winners during the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in December.

The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.

During the 2009-10 basketball season, Nebraska senior forward Kelsey Griffin was selected as the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner for women's basketball.

2010 Volleyball Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Candidates

Name, Position, School
Sydney Anderson, Setter, Nebraska
Jennifer Berwanger, Outside Hitter, Southern Illinois
Ellie Blankenship, Libero, Northern Iowa
Nina Camaioni, Outside Hitter, Loyola (Maryland)
Laura DeBruler, Outside Hitter, Illinois
Allyson Doyle, Outside Hitter, Western Michigan
Francie Ekwerekwu, Middle Blocker, Oklahoma
Nikki Fowler, Outside/Right Side Hitter, Tennessee
Lauren Gibbemeyer, Middle Blocker, Minnesota
Amanda Graham, Middle Blocker, Robert Morris
Jenna Hagglund, Setter, Washington
Christy Hudson, Right Side/Middle Blocker, TCU
JennaRae Jester, Middle Blocker, Wyoming
Alex Kelly, Middle Blocker, Lipscomb
Chelsy Kimes, Outside Hitter, Coastal Carolina
Alix Klineman, Outside Hitter, Stanford
Lauren Krupsky, Outside Hitter, Central Michigan
Tracey Lam, Libero, Rice
Carli Lloyd, Setter, California
Jamie Mellies, Setter, Seattle
Jade Michaelsen, Setter, New Mexico
Sabel Moffett, Middle Blocker, Northwestern
Stephanie Niemer, Outside Hitter, Cincinnati
Becky Novacek, Middle Blocker, Dayton
Lauren Rapp, Right Side/Middle Blocker, Kentucky
Chloe Smith, Right Side Hitter, Central Arkansas
Mary Ashley Tippins, Setter, Georgia Tech
Dana Vargas, Setter, UC Santa Barbara
Arielle Wilson, Middle Hitter, Penn State
Lexi Zimmerman, Setter, Michigan