Ball State University Athletics
Alyssa Rio Named CVU.Com Libero Of The Year
February 14, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - After one of the most successful defensive campaigns in program history, Ball State women's volleyball senior libero Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) has been named the 2010 CVU.com Libero of The Year, as announced Monday by The Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com).
"Being selected the CVU.com Libero of the Year is a wonderful tribute to the incredible senior year Alyssa had at Ball State." said first-year BSU head coach Steve Shondell. "She came to practice every day on a mission to become the player she was always capable of being. Her hard work and focus paid off in a huge way as she evolved into the premier libero in collegiate volleyball in addition to bringing Ball State University tremendous exposure and national recognition."
Named the CVU.com National Player of the Week Nov. 2, 2010, Rio is the second player in program history to earn CVU.com's top yearly libero award, joining 2006 recipient Amanda McCormick (2005-06).
A four-year letterwinner for the Cardinals, Rio finished her senior season ranked first in the Mid-American Conference and second in the nation with a career-best 5.86 digs-per-set average. The average is the fifth-best single-season total in program history and helped her earn both the MAC Defensive Player of the Year award and First Team All-MAC accolades.
Rio was the starting libero in all 29 matches for the Cardinals this season, helping guide the team to a 24-5 (14-2 MAC) overall record and the program's eighth MAC regular season title and first since the 2002 season. A four-time MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week selection in 2010, her 639 digs this season were the fourth-best single-season total in program history, while her 28 matches with double-figure digs tie as the fourth-best total in that category in BSU annals.
Rio finished her career with 2,089 digs to become only the second player in program history and the eighth in MAC history to record over 2,000 career digs . Her 49 matches with 20-or-more digs were a school record, while her 97 matches with double-figure digs ranked second in program history. Her 5.03 career digs-per-set average is also the second-best average in the Ball State record books.
Rio, who played in 111 matches and 415 sets over her career, played in every set for the Cardinals as a freshman, sophomore and senior, while playing in 19 matches and 70 sets as a junior after an injury in the first match sidelined her for the non-conference portion of the season.
