Skylar Fields Named to AVCA All-America First Team

TAMPA, Fla. – USC women's volleyball senior OH Skylar Fields (Missouri City, Texas) was selected to the AVCA All-America first team for the second consecutive season the AVCA announced on Wednesday, Dec. 13.

Fields is a repeat selection to the first team (2022) and becomes a three-time All-American including a third-team honor garnered at Texas in 2021. She is the first USC player to earn All-America recognition in back-to-back years since OH Samantha Bricio (2013-15) and the first to collect consecutive first-team honors since LIB Natalie Hagglund was chosen to the first team three straight times (2011-13). Last week, Fields was named the AVCA Pacific South Region's Player of the Year; a first by a Trojan athlete.

Fields collects the 79th All-America award won by a Trojan; the 58th presented by the AVCA (since 1981). She is one of 43 All-American Women of Troy and just one of 24 Trojans to have earned multiple All-America honors in her career at USC.

Fields joins an elite group of 13 Trojans (seven in the AVCA era) to earn multiple first-team All-America certificates. Among those with more than one AVCA first-team honor are Emily Adams (2002-04), Tracy Clark (1982, '84-85), Hagglund (2011-13), Alex Jupiter (2010-11), April Ross (2002-03), and Kim Ruddins (1984-85). Jupiter and Ross were each three-time All-Americans with additional selections to other teams.

In 2023, Fields led the Pac-12 in kills (617), kills per set (5.14 kps), points (666.5), and points per set (5.55 pps); and ranked third nationally in each of those categories, second for kills per set. She was chosen the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week three times to up her career total to seven selections; behind only nine awards won by All-American OH Samantha Bricio among Trojans. Fields was also selected as the AVCA's National Player of the Week for the third time in her career on Nov. 7. She crossed the 2,000-kill plateau this season and moved into USC's top-20 for career kills with 1,215 of those collected in the Cardinal and Gold (2,141 in her career). Fields logged nine double-doubles this season to bring her career total to 19. Her 2023 season totals for attacks (1,499), kills, and points each rank third in USC single-season history. Fields ended her senior season with 20-kill performances in 12 of her final 13 matches and produced her 59th double-digit kills match as a Trojan; and had 37 matches with 20 kills or more for the Women of Troy.

Fields is one of six Pac-12 athletes on the AVCA All-America first team; the most of any conference in the country. The Big Ten is represented by three players, followed by two each from the ACC and the Big XII, and one from the SEC, on the 14-woman first team. Including second and third team selections, Pac-12 schools produced 10 All-Americans in 2023; four from Stanford, three from Oregon, and one each from USC, Arizona State, and Washington State. Eight additional Pac-12 student-athletes received honorable mention.

The 25th-ranked Women of Troy (19-13) received the eighth seed in the Pittsburgh quadrant of the NCAA tournament and swept UMBC in the first round before falling to site host No. 4 Pittsburgh in the second round. Under fourth-year head coach Brad Keller, the Trojans finished fifth in the Pac-12 (12-8) and put OH Skylar Fields and setter Mia Tuaniga on the all-conference team. OH London Wijay was chosen to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

For more information on the USC women's volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 10/11/2024 23:17