Fresno State Athletics
Volleyball Captures Five All-WAC Picks
11/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 19, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. -
The Fresno State volleyball all-WAC release in PDF Format
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The 2002 all-WAC volleyball team in PDF Format
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With 12 first team and 12 second team all-Western Athletic Conference teams being selected today by the league's coaches, the Fresno State volleyball team had five all-WAC picks -- the second-most selected -- and the WAC's Coach of the Year honoree in Lindy Vivas.
Four Bulldogs were named first team in sophomore setter Whitney Arena (West Linn, Ore.), sophomore outside hitter Kristen Fenton (Marysville, Mich.), junior middle blocker Carrie Hartt (Manteca, Calif.) and senior middle blocker Java Johnson (Fresno, Calif.). Second team accolades went to senior outside hitter Christy Burnett (Fallbrook, Calif.).
Vivas, who is in her 12th season as head coach of the Bulldog volleyball program and two wins shy of her 300th career victory, garnered her third WAC Coach of the Year honor after being named in 1992 and 1997. Under her tutelage, she has coached 24 all-WAC players and 27 all-conference picks overall.
The 2002 Fresno State volleyball team also sets a new record for most all-conference selections with five in a season. The Bulldogs had four all-league honorees in 1992 and 1997 -- the same two years in which Vivas was named coach of the year.
Garnering her second straight all-WAC honor after being named second team last season, Arena averaged nearly 12.00 assists per game (11.91) in WAC play. Arena, who had a season-best 69 assists versus San Jose State, has been ranked as one of the top four setters in the league all season.
Fenton, who became the first Bulldog to garner WAC Player of the Week honors in three years, exploded onto the WAC scene and ranked in three league categories in hitting (6th, .302), kills per game (6th, 4.13) and service aces (7th, 0.33).
Hartt also busted onto the WAC scene as a first-year starter. Finishing as the league's top blocker for the regular-season, she recorded 104 block assists and became the ninth Bulldog to reach the 100-block assist plateau against Nevada last week. The 104 block assists is fifth best in a single-season.
A two-year player and starter for the Bulldogs, Johnson was the only Bulldog to be named to all three all-tournament teams this season. The 2002 preseason all-WAC also has double-figure kill performances in more than half of the matches played this season. Currently hitting .299 in her career, Johnson moved into the school's Top 10 in career block assists with 172 to rank tenth best.
Burnett, a 2002 preseason all-WAC pick, has been nationally-ranked in service aces for six weeks and currently has served up the 45 aces on the year for the eighth-best mark in the school's single-season history. Also moving up the school's Top 10 career annals, Burnett became the fifth Bulldog to tally 1,000 career digs against Nevada last week, where she ranks No. 5 all-time with 1,019. With 100 career aces, she is 58 kills shy of reaching the 1,000 career-kill plateau and, if reached, would be only the fifth Bulldog to join the 1,000/1,000 kill/dig club at Fresno State and the 14th player of a current WAC team in WAC history.
Heading into the WAC Volleyball Championship Tournament this week with a 22-5 overall record, the Bulldogs are the No. 2 seed in the championship tournament and will meet No. 7 seed SMU in the tourney opener on Friday, Nov. 22, 5:30 p.m.
