RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) volleyball team learned on Wednesday that graduate student outside hitter Sarah Cruz has been recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) with All-American Honorable Mention.
 
Cruz is the first All-American in NCAA Division I program history.
 
An AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention selection, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Player of the Year, and a member of the All-WAC First Team, Cruz averaged a WAC-leading 4.24 kills per set on .230 hitting with 2.28 digs, 0.58 blocks and 0.31 aces in 127 sets across 34 matches. Cruz set a single-season program record with 538 total kills.
 
A three-time WAC Offensive Player of the Week, Cruz led the WAC in six categories, ranking ninth in the NCAA in points (623.0), ninth in kills (538), 16^th in attacks (1,348), 20^th in points per set (4.91), 26^th in kills per set (4.24), and 63^rd in attacks per set (10.61). Cruz also ranked fourth in the WAC and 132^nd in the NCAA with 39 aces.
 
One of three players to start every match for UTRGV, Cruz led UTRGV in kills 27 times, digs once, and blocks seven times. She reached double-figures in kills 26 times, including 10 matches of 20+ kills, and digs 14 times, en route to 11 double-doubles.
 
Cruz finished her career with 1,428 kills, the second-highest total in program history, an average of 3.61 kills per set, which also ranks second. She also averaged 0.30 aces per set, the seventh-best mark in program history.

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