Senior outside hitter Lindsey Ruddins cemented her legacy even further on Tuesday afternoon, becoming the second Gaucho in UCSB program history to earn four First Team selections as the Big West All-Conference Teams were announced.
Joining Ruddins on the First Team was redshirt freshman right side Tallulah Froley, who also landed on the All-Freshman Team, while junior middle blocker Rowan Ennis earned Honorable Mention honors. True freshman setter Romoni Vivao rounded out the selections after being named to the All-Freshman Team.
Ruddins, the all-time kills leader in UCSB history (rally scoring era), climbed the leaderboards across both UCSB and the Big West record books as a senior. With three Big West Player of the Week selections this season, and 12 overall for her career, Ruddins now has the most weekly awards in conference history.
The Laguna Niguel, Calif. native sits fifth all-time in Big West history with 1,929 kills, and became just the 12th player in Big West lore to earn four First Team all-conference selections.
Also going over the century mark in career digs in her latest match, Ruddins showcased both her offensive and defensive prowess all season long with 11 double-doubles. She led the Big West and ranked 22nd in the nation with an average of 4.42 kills per set, and led UCSB with a total of 398. She recorded double-digit kills in 22 of her 25 matches thus far, and surpassed 20 kills in a match a total of eight times. It has also been the most efficient season of her career, hitting .278 overall and registering three matches where she hit above .500, including a career-high .548 clip in a sweep over UC Davis. An all-around talent, Ruddins has accumulated totals of 237 digs (2.63 d/s) and a career-best 60 blocks (.67 b/s).
Froley burst on the scene as a redshirt freshman, immediately contributing to the offense opposite Ruddins. The 6-foot, Half Moon Bay, Calif. native ranks second on the team and 12th in the Big West with 274 kills, while her 2.98 kills per set average is good for ninth.
Possessing a powerful yet efficient swing, Froley is hitting .307 in her first full campaign, good for second on the team among players with at least 50 attempts, and she is tied with Ruddins for second with 60 total blocks. A three-time Big West Freshman Player of the Week, and one-time Big West Player of the Week, Froley has reached double figure kill totals in 12 matches and has had at least nine kills in 20 matches.
After earning All-Freshman Team honors in 2016, redshirt junior Ennis landed on the Big West Honorable Mention list after spearheading the Gauchos’ defensive efforts at the net all season. Consistently ranked atop the Big West for much of the season, and Top-50 nationally, Ennis sits second in the conference and leads the Gauchos with 114 total blocks and a 1.23 blocks per set average. Her team-leading .330 hitting percentage also places her fifth-best in the Big West and she has a career-best 16 solo blocks and 98 block assists.
The only setter to be named to the All-Freshman Team, Vivao was a staple of the dynamic UCSB offensive attack. Splitting time with former All-Freshman Team selection, Olivia Lovenberg, Vivao dished out 488 assists (5.30 a/s) in her debut campaign. The Long Beach, Calif. native had double figure assist totals in every match she played, and was one of seven Gauchos to play all 27 matches. She finished the year with 159 digs (1.73 d/s) and displayed a penchant for unsuspecting kills, adding 18 on a .500 percentage (18-1-34).
Big West champion Hawai’i essentially swept the major awards with senior setter Norene Iosia earning Player of the Year; Hanna Hellvig was named the Freshman of the Year and Robyn Ah Mow was awarded Co-Coach of the Year along with Cal State Fullerton’s Ashley Preston.
UCSB (22-5) will find out if it advances to the NCAA Tournament this Sunday, Dec. 1 during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, airing at 5:30 p.m. PT on ESPNU. It will also be streamed on NCAA.com.