Volleyball Release - Robertson Earns Academic Honors - Guilford College

Greensboro, NC (11/14/02) - Junior A.J. Robertson (Eden, NC/Morehead) earned a spot on the second team 2002 Verizon Academic All-District Volleyball squad Thursday. Robertson is Guilford's first academic all-district volleyball selection since Trudy Buckingham '95 and Susan Raney '95 earned spots on the 1994 team.

The all-district teams are comprised of volleyball players from Division II and III institutions in the five-state area from Virginia to Florida. Nominees were starters or important reserves of sophomore academic standing or above who maintained at least a 3.20 grade point average. Selections are made by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

A 5-9 middle hitter and team captain, Robertson recently concluded the finest season of her career. She finished second on the team in kills (2.11) and digs (3.38) per game and led the club in aces (0.53) and blocks (1.38) per contest. She stands second among Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) blocks per game leaders and also ranks among the league's best in digs and aces. Her 58 aces this year rank fourth in school history while her 357 digs place eighth.

Robertson had a career-high eight matches with 10 or more kills, including a personal-best 16-putaway performance in Guilford's first win over Lynchburg since 1997. She also had four contests with at least 20 digs and matched a personal standard with 21 pickups in three different matches. Her 4.14 aces per game October 5 against Greensboro set a school record and her career-high seven aces in the match rank fourth all time. She had a personal-best 18 blocks versus Eastern Mennonite, including 17 block assists - the ninth-best single-match total in school history.

Robertson also made a mark on Guilford's career charts. She has 222 career assist blocks, good enough for fifth place on the Quakers' list. Her 103 solo blocks and 807 digs each stand sixth in their respective categories. Robertson is seventh in career aces (108) and ninth in career kills (508).

A dean's list biology and chemistry double major, Robertson received the 2002 Glaxo SmithKline Women in Science Award Scholarship. She also won Guilford's 2001-02 Purdom Scholarship Award for academic achievement and the 2000 CRC Freshman Chemistry Award. A two-time Academic All-ODAC pick and a regular Guilford's Student-Athlete Honor Roll, Robertson now shifts her sights to basketball where she is a two-year letter winner with the Quakers' two-time defending league champion hoops squad.

Robertson helped Coach Chuck McCracken's Quakers to their best season since 1997. Guilford went 12-17 and earned the fifth seed in the ODAC Tournament with a 5-5 regular-season league mark. The Quakers set 10 team and individual school records this year, including aces in a match and aces in a season. Robertson is one of nine letter winners expected back in 2003.

- Erica Brammer '02