Smith, Tolbert earn All-ACC honors

Tolbert collects second team All-ACC and Smith earns All-Freshman Team

November 27, 2017

ACC Release

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia Tech volleyball team’s right side hitter Jaila Tolbert earned second team All-ACC and outside hitter Kaity Smith was named ACC All-Freshman Team, as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.

Smith is the eighth Hokie in program history to be named to the ACC All-Freshman squad, while Tolbert is the third to be second team All-ACC.

The pair were a force on the court this year for Tech, racking up more than 600 kills combined for head coach Jill Wilson’s unit.

Tolbert, a junior, earned ACC All-Freshman Team her rookie season in 2015 and has been improving ever since. This fall, the Minnesota native posted career bests in kills, hitting percentage, assists, service aces and digs. Tolbert’s .331 clip was the seventh-best in the conference, and the top mark among non-middle blockers.

Smith made quite the first impression this season as the rookie tallied the second-most kills by a freshman in the league. The Kentucky native recorded 309 kills on the year, the sixth-most in Tech history by a freshman, and a 3.25 kills per set average, the fifth-highest mark by a freshman for Tech.

All-ACC First Team
Olga Strantzali#, Sr., OH, Miami
Nika Markovic!, So., RS, Pittsburgh
Julia Brown!, Sr., OH, NC State
Wilma Rivera, Jr., S, Louisville
Santita Ebangwese!, Jr., MB, Syracuse
Melanie McHenry, So, OH, Louisville
Milica Kubura@, Sr., RS, Florida State
Gabriela Stavnetchei, Sr., OH, Georgia Tech
Haley Templeton#, Sr., S, Miami
Kamalani Akeo!, Jr., S, Pittsburgh
Stephanie Williams!, So., OH, Pittsburgh
Kylie Pickrell, Jr., S, NC State
Beth Nordhorn, Sr., MH, North Carolina
Ryann DeJarld!, Jr., L, Notre Dame

All-ACC Second Team
Samantha Fry@, Sr., MH, Notre Dame
Taylor Leath, Jr., OH, North Carolina
Jemma Yeadon!, So., OH, Notre Dame
Molly Sauer#, Jr., L, Louisville
Taryn Knuth, Fr., MB, Florida State
Cadie Bates, Sr., OH, Duke
Jaila Tolbert!, Jr., OPP, Virginia Tech
Kylie Long!, Sr., OH, Wake Forest
Kaitlyn Kearney!, Sr., MB, NC State
Tess Clark@, Sr., OH, Louisville
Bree Bailey, Gr., OH, NC State
Maggie DeJong!, Sr., MB, Louisville
Jasmine Bennett, Jr., MB, Louisville
Kaylin Korte, So, OH, Clemson

ACC All-Freshmen Team
Taryn Knuth, MB, Florida State
Kayla Lund, OH, Pittsburgh
Chinaza Ndee, MH, Pittsburgh
Payton Schwantz, OH, Duke
Ella Saada, OH, Syracuse
Kaity Smith, OH, Virginia Tech
Melissa Evans, OPP, NC State
Summer Brown, MB, Duke
Sarah Billiard, OH, Virginia

Player of the Year: Olga Strantzali, Sr., OH, Miami
Defensive Player of the Year: Molly Sauer, Jr., L, Louisville
Setter of the Year: Wilma Rivera, Jr., S, Louisville
Freshman of the Year: Taryn Knuth, MB, Florida State
Coach of the Year: Dan Fisher, Pittsburgh

@ – Four-time selection
# – Three-time selection
! – Two-time selection

For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @HokiesVB and on Instagram @vthokievolleyball