BATON ROUGE — LSU’s Ivana Kuzmic earned Newcomer of the Year honors, while she and Regan Hood were both named to the All-Louisiana volleyball first team, as announced by the Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association on Saturday.
After transferring from Arkansas-Little Rock, Kuzmic led the Tigers, the Southeastern Conference and ranked in the top 15 in the NCAA in blocks per game. An honorable mention AVCA All-South Region selection, she also led the team and ranked 10th in the SEC in hitting percentage.
In four matches this season she posted 10 or more blocks, marking the first time that had been accomplished at LSU since the 1986 season. Against Houston, she recorded the sixth-most total blocks and the second-most block solos in a five-game match in school history with 14 and six respectively. The SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 20, she also posted back-to-back double-figure block matches against Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
A Hurricane Frances and Texas Invitational All-Tournament team selection, Hood led LSU in kills for the second straight season. She became the 13th player in school history to record 1,000 career kills and completed her career ranked 11th in career kills. With 16 matches with 10-plus kills, she posted five double-doubles on the season, including a season-high 24 kills and a career-best 20 digs vs. Arkansas.
The LSWA All-Louisiana volleyball team was selected by sports information representatives from the state’s 14 volleyball-playing institutions from nominations submitted by the volleyball contacts at those schools. The two six-member teams with honorable mention selections were chosen regardless of position.
2004 LSWA All-Louisiana Selection — First Team
Name Position School
Jennifer Cruz Outside Hitter New Orleans
Regan Hood Outside Hitter LSU
Nichole James Outside Hitter McNeese State
Ivana Kuzmic Middle Blocker LSU
LaTasha Smith Outside Hitter Grambling State
Second Team
Name Position School
Hillary Carr Middle Blocker New Orleans
Lindsay Bekelja Setter Centenary
Whitney King Outside Hitter Northwestern State
Trisha Seale Outside Hitter McNeese State
Mary Seals Outside Hitter Loyola
Mary Young Libero Southern
Honorable Mention: Jayne Duncan, New Orleans; Lacey Cormier’, Grambling State; Lindsey Ehlert, UL-Monroe
Player of the Year: Nichole James, McNeese State
Newcomer of the Year: Ivana Kuzmic, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Whitney King, Northwestern State
Co-Coaches of the Year: Julie Ibieta, New Orleans and Kim Young, Grambling State