SLCC volleyball: Freshman Carol Grasso named 1st-team All-American

Freshman outside hitter Carol Grasso of the SLCC Volleyball team (26-8, 10-0 SWAC) was named a First Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).

She is the only player from the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) to earn AVCA First Team All-American honors and turned in 24 double-double efforts this season.

Grasso, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, adds the AVCA honor to her compliment of awards received in 2013. She was named a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) First Team All-American last week and earned Region 18 Player of the Year honors for her standout performance on the court this season.

Carol led the SWAC with a school record 500 kills this season and was also an NJCAA Division I All-Tournament Team selection. Grasso's mark of 500 kills ranks 12th in the nation for this season. She finished with a SWAC-leading 56 service aces and was named Region 18 Tournament Most Valuable Player. Her total of 56 aces in a single season ranks fourth all-time at SLCC and 12th in the NJCAA for 2013.

She helped lead the Bruins to their first outright SWAC and Region 18 championships since 2009 and the program's first unbeaten conference season since 2007. Grasso and the Bruins finished fourth at the NJCAA Division I National Championships in Casper, WY.

Grasso finished the 2013 season with a 3.85 kills per set average (15th in NJCAA) and a hitting percentage of .265 on 1162 total attempts. She finished second on the squad in digs at 417 (fourth all-time at SLCC) with a digs per set average of 3.21.

The 5-foot-10-inch tall freshman turned in six solo blocks with 43 block assists on the season. She helped lead the Bruins to six wins over teams ranked in the NJCAA Top 10 and tied for the team lead in sets played at 130 (sophomore libero Indigo Allen 130).