Dec. 9, 2009

Lexington, KY - Cal State Fullerton middle blocker Kayla Neto added American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) West Region Freshman of the Year and West Region Honorable Mention accolades to her resume as the association announced its Div. I regional awards Wednesday afternoon.

Neto, the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year and first teamer, was one of seven Big West volleyball players to nab a spot on the western region teams, and was one of the nation's top eight rookies according to the AVCA.

In her first season with the Titans, the Clarksburg, Calif., native played in all 106 of the Titans' sets (30 matches) and compiled a .319 attack percentage, the third-best single-season mark in Fullerton history and the fifth-best average in the Big West in 2009. She also led the Titans in blocking with 97.0 total blocks.

On the year, Neto tallied 305 kills (2.88 kps) offensively and 79 blocks assists and 18 solos at the net to help lead the Titans to a record-tying 18-win season.

Neto was a two-time Big West Player of the Week in 2009 and was the only freshman to earn the honor all year long.

Other Big West players named by the AVCA include first-team selections Rebecca Saraceno (UC Santa Barbara), Dana Vargas (UC Santa Barbara), Naomi Washington (Long Beach State) and honorable mentions Kari Pestolesi (UC Irvine), Caitlin Ledoux (Long Beach State) and Juliane Piggot (UC Irvine).