LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For the first time in her illustrious five-year career donning the Orange and Blue, Illinois volleyball's Raina Terry has been named an All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
The AVCA Third Team All-American becomes the 23rd player in Fighting Illini volleyball history to earn All-America status from the organization.
An AVCA All-Region honoree and one of five unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selections, Terry closed out her career with 2,138 kills, 2,522.0 points and 220 aces. All three marks rank first in the Illinois volleyball record book.
During the regular season, the Ohio native averaged 5.27 points per set, putting Terry first in the league, while her 579.5 total points were good for second place. The graduate student's 56 aces and 486 total kills ranked third in the Big Ten.Â
With just the national semifinals and finals remaining, Terry's 5.26 points per set ranked first in the conference and 14th nationally, while the 599.5 points for the outside hitter were good enough for second in the Big Ten and 15th in the country. Her 56 strikes from the service line ranked third in the league and 19th overall.
Terry's 4.42 kills per set put the Ohio native third in the conference and 25th nationally, while her 504 kills on the year rank fifth in the Big Ten and 24th in the country.
The outside hitter posted double-figure kills in 30 of 31 matches this season, including six performances with 20+ kills. Terry led the way in kills during 27 of the Illini's matches this year. A threat at the service line, the program's leader in aces notched 56 across the season.Â
Terry is the only Big Ten player with over 2,000 kills and over 200 aces. She is also the active career leader in all of Division I with 220 strikes from behind the service line.
The Ohio native was scary good against top opponents this year. In both matches against national semifinalist Nebraska, Terry led all players in kills. During the home match against the Huskers, Terry was the only player to earn a double-double, amassing 13 kills and 10 digs.
Against No. 7 Wisconsin, Terry posted a match-high 15 kills and a .375 hitting clip. The marks were better than reigning AVCA Player of the Year and back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year Sarah Franklin's stats, as the Badger pin posted a mere 13 kills and a .250 hitting rate while taking the same number of swings as Terry. The hitting percentage by Terry matched All-American opposite Anna Smrek, while the Illini player posted eight more attempts than the Badger.
The reign of terror continued against national semifinalist Penn State, against which the Fighting Illini outside hitter amassed 19 kills while hitting .500 for the match against the then-ranked No. 4 Nittany Lions. The 19 kills were tied for the most allowed by the Nittany Lions at home this year and were the most allowed by PSU in a three-set match. The .500 hitting efficiency was the best posted by a visiting outside hitter at Rec Hall. Terry also posted more kills than All-Americans Jess Mruzik (5) and Camryn Hannah (13) combined in the match.
Terry became the first player in Illinois volleyball history to be drafted in the Pro Volleyball Federation draft, as she was selected 11th overall by the Columbus Fury on Nov. 25.
