Nov. 30, 2005
IOWA CITY – University of Iowa volleyball player Catherine Smale was named to the 2005 Big Ten All-Freshman team today. The announcement came from the Big Ten Conference office.
Smale, an outside hitter from St. Charles, IL, had an outstanding freshman campaign in which she set a Hawkeye freshman record with 411 kills. Along with kills, she led the team in kills per game (3.61) and total attempts (1,271). She was second on the team with 312 digs and fourth with 20 service aces.
Smale is the first Iowa player named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
“We are very pleased for Catherine and for the volleyball program,” Head Coach Cindy Fredrick said. “When you consider the caliber of the freshmen in the Big Ten this year, this is really a tremendous honor for Catherine, and a credit to her hard work and talent. We had a freshman dominated team this year, and this is also a credit to all of them.”
Junior middle hitter Melanie Meister was named Iowa’s honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship award. Sportsmanship award honorees are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athlete must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. She is now a candidate for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, where the conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.