Pavan Named Finalist for Honda Award

University of Nebraska volleyball player Sarah Pavan is one of four finalists for the 2006-07 Volleyball Honda Sports Award announced Saturday.

Sarah Pavan, the AVCA National Player of the Year and ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American of the year, led Nebraska to a 33-1 record and the school’s third national title in 2006. A three-time first-team All-American, Pavan set a school record with 5.10 kills per game to rank 10th nationally while also ranking among the Big 12 leaders in points per game (5.98, first) and service aces (0.34/gm, sixth). The 6-foot-5 right side hitter also averaged 1.50 digs and 1.00 blocks per game for Nebraska, which became only the third team in NCAA history to be ranked No. 1 the entire season.

Pavan, who was named the Most Outstanding Player at last week’s NCAA Championships, reached double figures in kills in 33 of 34 matches and had 10 matches with at least 20 kills, including three times during the NCAA Tournament. A two-time Big 12 Player of the Year, Pavan’s 5.10 kills per game broke the school record of 5.09 set by U.S. Olympian Nancy Metcalf in 1999. Pavan totaled 22 kills on .378 hitting, a season-high 13 digs and three blocks in the NCAA championship match against Stanford, played in front of the largest crowd in collegiate volleyball history.

Pavan is joined by three other college volleyball All-Americans in Stanford’s Foluke Akinradewo, UCLA’s Nana Meriwether and Washington’s Courtney Thompson, who won the Honda Award in 2005. Pavan will look to become the fourth Husker to earn the volleyball honor, joining Karen Dahlgren (1986), Allison Weston (1995) and Greichaly Cepero (2000).

American Honda will donate $1,000 to the women’s athletic fund of each nominee’s university, while the winner will receive a $5,000 donation. The award, which is voted upon by college administrators around the country, will be announced in mid-January. The volleyball winner will become a nominee for The Honda-Broderick Cup awarded annually to the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.