Victoria, Valle Earn All-SEC Accolades

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In recognition of their standout efforts this season, Pilar Victoria and Okiana Valle have garnered All-SEC honors as announced Wednesday morning by the league office. Through a vote of the conference’s head coaches, Victoria was named to the All-SEC Team while Valle earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. With Wednesday’s release, Victoria and Valle become the ninth and 10th all-conference selections under head coach Robert Pulliza.

Collectively, the 10 all-conference players under Pulliza have combined for 17 All-SEC accolades. With its latest additions, Arkansas Volleyball now has 35 All-SEC performers in its history dating back to the program’s first season in 1994.

Victoria enters the final week of the regular season as the SEC leader with 4.95 kills per set and 5.43 points per set during league play. Eight (8) of her 11 20-kill performances have come against conference opponents. Her offensive production against SEC teams also includes three 30-kill efforts. Victoria established a career high and the No. 2 mark in school history with 35 kills against Ole Miss (Nov. 6).

The Caguas, Puerto Rico, native has also become just the fifth player in program history to reach 300 kills during a single SEC season, and is on pace to register the league’s highest kill-per-set average since the 2006 season. In a display of her all-around efforts, Victoria has also tallied seven double-double performances during Arkansas’ conference slate. She is averaging 2.29 digs per set and is tied for the team lead with 13 service aces in SEC play.

As the only freshman libero in the conference, Valle is averaging 4.18 digs per set through the first 16 SEC matches of her career. She has recorded 10 matches with 15 or more digs including four 20-dig performances. Valle established an SEC-season high with 25 digs in the Razorbacks’ match at Auburn (Nov. 22). With her current mark, she is on pace to become just the third libero in program history to average more than four digs per set during SEC play.

The Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, native is the fifth SEC All-Freshman selection under Pulliza, joining the list of Jasmine Norton (2009), Amanda Anderson (2009), Raymariely Santos (2010) and current teammate Liz Fortado (2012). In addition to her defensive prowess, Valle is tied for the team lead with 13 service aces and has 43 assists in SEC play.

Along with the all-conference announcement, the Razorbacks’ final home stand of the season begins Wednesday evening with midweek matchup with South Carolina. First serve of the SEC contest is set for 7 p.m. (CT) at Barnhill Arena. Arkansas holds a 23-11 advantage in the all-time series with the Gamecocks including a 12-4 mark in matches played in Fayetteville.

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