Just a day prior to the start of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, several members of the Clarkson University Volleyball team gained some prestigious post-season honors. Senior Sara Artus (St. Regis Falls, NY) was the headline, earning both AVCA New York First-Team honors as well as Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America District 3 First-Team All-Star accolades.
Artus, the Liberty League Player of the Year, gained AVCA All-Region honors for the third consecutive year, one of only two members on the team to have gained such notoriety. The senior outside hitter leads the team with 472 kills and has recorded more than 1,500 over the course of the last three seasons. In addition to her athletic prowess, Artus picked up her first Academic All-America honor, gaining First-Team District 3 honors. Only five other players in the region (New York) were named to the team. Artus has a 3.60 grade-point average in biology and psychology.
Joining Artus on the Academic All-America team was sophomore libero Erika Chin (Katy, TX), who owns a flawless 4.00 grade-point average in chemical engineering. Chin also was an outstanding player for the Golden Knights, earning Liberty League Honorable Mention All-Star status as she ranked third in both digs (4.35 per set) and aces (0.51 per set) in the conference.
Picking up AVCA New York First-Team honors was sophomore setter Lani Durio (Austin, TX). The only setter to gain First-Team honors in the entire region, Durio currently ranks 21st in the country in assists per set (10.31), far and away the best figure in the Liberty League. Durio also ranked second in the conference, where she was picked as a First-Team All-Star, in aces (0.54 per set).
The Clarkson University Volleyball team is hosting its first-ever NCAA New York Regional this weekend at Alumni Gymnasium. Clarkson has reached the NCAA Tournament the past three seasons.
