University Park, Pa. — Just days after being named one of three finalists for the Honda-Broderick Cup, Penn State women’s volleyball opposite Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) has been selected as one of five ESPY nominees for Best Female College Athlete. The 2011 ESPY Awards take place on Wednesday, July 13 live on ESPN (9 p.m.) at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Fans will have the chance to select the winners by voting online or by mobile device at espn.com/espys or on the ESPN Facebook page: facebook.com/espn. Voting closes on July 9 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Dallas Escobedo (Arizona State softball), Melissa Henderson (Notre Dame soccer), Katinka Hosszu (USC swimming) and Maya Moore (Connecticut basketball) are the other nominees.
The Penn State Female Athlete of the Year, Brown guided the Nittany Lions to an unprecedented fourth straight NCAA title in 2010. During her career, the women’s volleyball team won a record-breaking 109 consecutive matches, 65 straight Big Ten matches, 55 road matches in a row and never lost at home in Rec Hall. She closed out her career with a 140-7 record between 2007-10.
The Big Ten Player of the Year, the sixth straight for Penn State women’s volleyball, Brown finished her career with 1,295 kills to rank 14th all-time at Penn State. Brown was a finalist for the prestigious AAU Sullivan Award and was named the Female Athlete of the Month by the United State Sports Academy in January. A three-time All-Big Ten honoree, Brown earned Second Team laurels in 2008 and First Team accolades in 2009 and 2010. In her final season, Brown was a Unanimous Preseason All-Big Ten selection and earned conference player of the week honors three times.
In 2010 Brown started all 37 matches and led the Nittany Lions with 521 kills, averaging 4.24 kills per set on .320 hitting. She was second on the team with 281 digs (2.28 digs per set) and had 113 total blocks (0.92 blocks per set). Her 4.24 kills per set ranked second in the Big Ten and 21st nationally, while her .320 attack percentage was ninth in the league.
Former Nittany Lion great Megan Hodge was nominated for an ESPY in 2010, making this the second straight year a member of the Penn State volleyball team has been up for an award. The ESPYs and related events benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research in memory of the late Jim Valvano.
