OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Virginia Tech volleyball's Jaila Tolbert was selected as one of 30 volleyball student-athletes to the 2018 Senior CLASS Award, as announced by the organization Monday afternoon. Tolbert is the first-ever Tech volleyball player to make the list and the first for the Hokies in any sport since 2016 (Murielle Tiernan, women's soccer).
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates is at the bottom of the release.
Tolbert has been the definition of a student-athlete on and off the court for the Hokies since her arrival to Blacksburg in 2015. An international studies major with a concentration in business and Chinese minor, Tolbert has earned a spot on the ACC Academic Honor Roll and the Virginia Tech Athletic Director's Honor Roll each year, as well as making the 2017 ACC Volleyball All-Academic Team.
The Minnesota native has served on Tech's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for three years and currently holds the president role on the four-person executive team. Tolbert has taken her leadership even further by serving as a representative on ACC SAAC, NCAA Division I SAAC and on multiple subcommittees, including the Student-Athlete Experience subcommittee of Division I, the ACC Legislation Committee and the Presidents Council within ACC SAAC. She also has participated in community outreach events, including trips to Kipps Elementary School, Tech's Move-In Day and the annual Hokie Helpers event.
On the court, the right-side hitter was named to the All-ACC Freshmen Team her rookie season and was tabbed All-ACC second-team last fall after a breakout season in which she hit north of .300 in 20 matches. Last year, Tolbert led the ACC in hitting percentage (.331) for non-middle blockers, and followed it up this past summer by being named to the U.S. Collegiate National Team – Detroit. After 16 matches in the books this fall, Tolbert leads the team in hitting percentage (.346) and owns 174 kills and 45 blocks.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in December.
Next up for Tolbert and the Hokies will be a road trip south to Georgia Tech (11-6, 0-4 ACC) on Friday and Clemson (9-8, 0-4 ACC) on Sunday. Both matches will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
Volleyball Candidates
Kamalani Akeo, Pittsburgh Courtney Pence, Illinois State
Tami Alade, Stanford Jordan Poulter, Illinois
Rachel Anderson, WKU Colleen Reilly, Wofford
Ali Bastianelli, Illinois Michela Rucli, Hofstra
Lauren Bruns, Dayton Jess Schaben, Iowa State
Santita Ebangwese, Syracuse Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Minnesota
Gabrielle Eyl, Northeastern Carly Skjodt, Michigan
Mikaela Foecke, Nebraska Alexa Smith, Colorado
Cara Guthrie, UNC Asheville Kirstyn Sperry, Bryant
Erica Haslag, Bradley Haley Templeton, Miami
Taryn Kloth, Creighton Abby Thelen, Seton Hall
Haley Libs, Northern Kentucky Jaila Tolbert, Virginia Tech
AJ Lux, East Tennessee State Erica Treiber, Tennessee
Patricia Mattingly, Navy Jaali Winters, Creighton
Alyssa Munlyn, Missouri Karley York, North Texas
