Victoria, Rippee collect all-region volleyball honors

FAYETTEVILLE — In recognition of their standout efforts this season, redshirt senior Pilar Victoria earned a place on the AVCA All-South Region Team and sophomore setter Rachel Rippee was awarded the first regional honor of her career with an honorable mention nod.

Arkansas now has at least one all-region performer in seven-consecutive seasons. Victoria and Rippee are now eligible for AVCA All-America consideration.

With Tuesday’s selections, the program has 40 all-region certificates spread among 25 student-athletes. Victoria becomes the 12th Razorback with multiple honors while Rippee is the program’s first all-region setter since the 2013 season.

Named an All-SEC performer last month, Victoria is the NCAA leader with 634 kills and 705.0 points and is the only player in the country to eclipse 600 kills and 700 points this season.

She is first in the SEC and ranks second nationally with 5.47 kills per set and 6.08 points per set, both figures representing single-season program records.

The newest member of the program’s 1,000-kill club, Victoria tallied double digits (kills) in 29 of 30 matches with at least 20 kills in 16 matches including four 30-kill performances.

Victoria is third in the SEC with a team-leading 15 double-doubles including the program’s first 20-20 effort — 26 kills and 20 digs at Ole Miss — since 2010. She was second on the team with 312 digs and 2.69 digs per set, both career highs.

Victoria served up 33 aces, the first 30-ace season by a Razorback since 2010. She also collected three or more blocks in 10 outings and matched her career high with six blocks at LSU.

From her setter position, Rippee ranks second in the SEC and 21st in the NCAA with 11.23 assists per set. She directed the offense to 17 matches with a .250 or higher hitting percentage including seven outings with a .300 or higher efficiency.

In a straight-set win over Mississippi State, Rippee set the team to a season-high .430 hitting percentage that tied the sixth-best mark in program history. While also averaging 2.16 digs per set, she finished the season with 12 double-doubles.

Rippee finished the season with 1,303 assists to become just the fourth setter in program history to reach 1,300 assists in a single season and the first to do so since 2003.

She also became the fourth Arkansas setter with 50 assists in a three-set match in the team’s sweep of Yale.

Twice named SEC Setter of the Week, Rippee moved into sixth place on the program’s career assists list and currently sits in sixth place with 2,295 assists through two seasons in Cardinal and White.