Victoria Named HERO Sports Legend of the Year

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In continuing her postseason awards collection, Razorback standout Pilar Victoria has been chosen as the 2015 HERO Sports Legend of the Year as announced Wednesday by the organization. The junior outside hitter won the fan vote with more than 43 percent (2,344 votes) of the total tally.

Victoria, a 2015 All-SEC and AVCA All-South Region performer, was nominated for the year-end honor after earning HERO Sports Gem of the Week earlier this season. She was first recognized following her 30-kill, 19-dig outing in the Razorbacks’ SEC-opening win at LSU (Sept. 23). Both HERO honors have come via fan vote.

“At the beginning of the season, I told myself I was going to work hard and go for everything but I didn’t know I was going to do it for sure,” Victoria said of her mindset entering the 2015 season. “I had lost some confidence in myself but to get the recognition, it’s like ‘yes, I can be good so I need to be better.’ Each day, keep going for it and never look back.”

In her first season in Fayetteville, Victoria made an immediate impact as one of the top attackers in the country. She broke the program’s single-season mark with 4.61 kills per set which led the SEC and ranks 10th in the NCAA. Victoria also finished first in the SEC and 15th in the country with 5.10 points per set. During her standout season, she reached double-digit kills in 28 of 30 matches including 20 or more kills in 11 matches.

Among her season highlights, Victoria recorded three 30-kill performances in 2015, and is one of just four players in the country with multiple 30-kill efforts this season. She established a career high and the No. 2 mark in program history with 35 kills against Ole Miss on Oct. 18. She also tallied efforts of 32 kills against Auburn. Victoria became the seventh player in program history, and first since 2011, to reach the 30-kill mark.

The Caguas, Puerto Rico, native finished the season with 525 kills to become the ninth Razorback to record 500 or more kills in a single season. In recognition of her play, she was a two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Playing as a six-rotation player, Victoria also tallied 2.50 digs per set and was second on the team with 25 service aces. She led the team and finished third in the SEC with 15 double-double performances.

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