Srivastava headlines SCIAC awards as Newcomer of the Year

ORANGE, Calif. – Three Chapman University women's volleyball players earned All-SCIAC honors earlier this morning. The selections were headlined by freshman Sophie Srivastava, who earned SCIAC Newcomer of the Year and became the first women's volleyball athlete to win a major SCIAC award since entering the conference in 2012.

Freshman Jessi Lumsden earned a spot on the First Team with Srivastava, while senior Lauren Friend earned Second Team recognition.

Srivastava helped lead the team to a 10-6 SCIAC record and a No. 3 seed in the postseason tournament. The first-year setter tallied 164 kills (2.69 per set) against SCIAC opponents while also dishing out 335 assists (5.49 per set). She also totaled 154 digs (2.52 per set) against conference opponents.

The Belmont native was a presence at the net for the Panthers, garnering 42 blocks (0.69 per set). Srivastava has tallied nine total triple doubles, ranking second in the nation in the category. Seven of those triple doubles came against SCIAC opponents.

Lumsden earned First Team recognition after a breakout rookie season. The outside hitter slammed down 218 kills for a total of 3.57 kills per set in SCIAC matches to lead the Panthers. She amassed 136 digs (2.23 per set) while also tallying 13 blocks at the net.

Friend is no stranger to All-SCIAC awards after being named to the First Team in the 2017 season. The middle blocker was a force at the net against SCIAC opponents this season, leading the Panthers with 57 total blocks and 0.98 blocks per set. The Kirkland, Wash. native tallied 115 kills for a .198 hitting percentage. Friend also led Chapman with a .294 hitting percentage in conference matches.

The Panthers will head to No. 2-seed Cal Lutheran on Thursday Nov. 1 at 7pm to play in the semifinal match of the SCIAC Postseason Tournament.

Full release: https://www.thesciac.org/sports/wvball/2018-19/releases/20181028itoxzc

by Katie Bell
Sports Information Assistant

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