Five Great Volleyball Players Who've Won The Honda Award

Learn more about these 5 great players accomplishments: Carli Lloyd, Alex Jupiter, Blair Brown, Juliann Faucette and Rhamat Alhassan


Congratulations to one of the great volleyball players of 2017, Florida Gators middle blocker, Rhamat Alhassan winner of the Honda Cup for volleyball. 



Watch as Rhamat talks about being a finalist for one of this year's highest honors. 






Great volleyball players like USC's junior outside hitter Alex Jupiter, Cal Bears senior setter Carli Lloyd, Penn State women’s volleyball senior opposite Blair Brown and Texas outside hitter Juliann Faucette have been named finalists for the 2010-11 Honda Sports Volleyball Award.

After votes have been casts nationwide, the Honda Award winner will become a nominee for the Honda-Broderick Cup, given each year to the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.



American Honda Motor Co., Inc., which sponsors the program, donates $5,000 to each Honda Sports Award recipient’s school and $1,000 to the school of each nominee.


Great Volleyball Players:                 Alex Jupiter, USC 2010 


Two-time All-American, Alex Jupiter was named AVCA All-America first team and AVCA All-Pacific Region after leading the Women of Troy to a 29-5 overall record and a trip to the NCAA Final Four. It was USC’s sixth Final Four appearance in 11 seasons and the Trojans’ first appearance since 2007.

The Paris, France, native had 532 kills (4.40 kps) this season while hitting .299 with 38 service aces (0.31 saps), 304 digs (2.51 dps), 77 blocks (0.64 bps) and 625.0 points (5.17 pps).

In Pac-10 Conference matches this season, Jupiter recorded 326 kills (4.47 kps) while hitting .298 with 19 aces (0.26 saps), 182 digs (2.49 dps), 50 blocks (19 solo, 0.68 bps) and 379.5 points (5.20 pps).

She finished the season ranked 11th in the nation for points per set and 15th for kills per set.

She also was named Pac-10 Conference Volleyball Player of the Week, the first time she earned that honor. She posted 49 kills (4.45 kps) in three matches against three teams that were receiving votes in the coaches' poll with four aces, 26 digs (2.36 dps), 10 blocks (0.91 bps) and 61.0 points (5.55 pps). 

Against New Mexico, she had 10 kills, seven digs and three solo  blocks in a 3-0 sweep.  In another 3-0 sweep, this time against Michigan State, Alex had 17 kills and six blocks while hitting .483 (17-3-29).   In the tournament finale against No. 4 Hawai'i, she had 22 kills and 16 digs in a five-set win over the Rainbow Wahine.  

Alex was named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week and Pac-10 Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the second time this season on Nov. 1 after she recorded 42 kills in wins at home against Washington State and then against No. 7 Washington. 

She became the first volleyball player in the history of the USC women's program to earn national volleyball player of the week honors twice in a season cementing herself a place as one of the great volleyball players in USC history.


With 1,404 kills, she will need only 12 kills to break into the top ten for career kills at USC next season and will have a chance to break the record of 1,799 kills, set by another one of USC's top volleyball players, Jennifer Kessy (1995-98). 

She is currently fourth all-time at USC with a 4.08 kills-per-set career average.  With 83 career service aces, she will need just 13 next season to break into USC’s career aces list. 

Her 1,636.0 career points are the second-most in school history and she should easily break the record of 1,689.5 points, held by Keao Burdine (2001-04), next season.  Her 534 kills place her fourth on USC’s single-season list while her 625.0 points place her third on USC’s single-season list. 

Her 5.17 points-per-set average this season places her fifth on USC’s single-season list.

Jupiter had 16 double-doubles this season and 12 in 18 Pac-10 Conference matches.  She was named to the 2010 All-Pac-10 Conference Team, the second straight year she received the honor.  

She finished 11th in the nation for points per set and 15th for kills per set. 

Jupiter is vying to become the third USC player to win the award, following Debbie Green (1977-78) and April Ross (2003-04).


Great Volleyball Players Carli Lloyd, Cal Berkeley


Carli Lloyd is the first Cal player to garner the 2010 AVCA Player of the Year award.  

The Cal Bear’s only All-American setter is the second player in program history to be named as a three-time AVCA All-American.




At the national championship match this season she was named to the NCAA Volleyball Championship All-Tournament Team for her performance in the Final Four.

Capping a phenomenal year for the Bears with an appearance in the NCAA Championship finals, Carli guided the Golden Bears volleyball team this year to its first Pac-10 Championship while establishing a program-record 30 wins this year.

She has been instrumental in the Bears’ success for the past four seasons, and ranks sixth all-time among Pac-10 players with 5,697 career assists.

She ranked eighth in the NCAA with 11.83 assists per set and led all active Pac-10 players in career assists and blocks (398) this season.


Great Volleyball Players: Blair Brown, Penn State




The three-time AVCA All-American became the sixth Nittany Lion in a row to be named the Big Ten Player of the Year earlier this season.

A three-time All-Big Ten selection, Brown earned Second Team laurels in 2008 and First Team honors in 2009 and 2010.

Blair has started in all 37 matches this season and leads the Nittany Lions with 521 kills, averaging 4.24 kills per set on .320 hitting.

She is second on the team with 281 digs (2.28 digs per set) and 113 total blocks (0.92 blocks per set). Her 4.24 kills per set ranks second in the Big Ten and 29th nationally, while her .323 attack percentage ranks ninth in the league.

Her 4.72 points per set ranks 26th in the nation.

In 2010, Brown was a Unanimous Preseason All-Big Ten pick and earned conference player of the week honors three times. She surpassed the 1,000 career kills milestone this season and closed out her career with 1,295 kills.

A member of the 2010 National Championship All-Tournament Team, Brown became the ninth Nittany Lion to be named a finalist for the Honda Award for volleyball.

Past nominees for Penn State include Bonnie Bremner (’97, 98), Terri Zemaitis (’97), Lauren Cacciamani (’98, ’99), Sam Tortorello (’04, ’05), Christa Harmotto (’07, ’08), Megan Hodge (’07, ’09), Nicole Fawcett (’08) and Alisha Glass (’09). 

The Nittany Lions made history again this year by winning an unprecedented fourth straight national title. Penn State swept California, 3-0, in the national championship match on Dec. 18 in Kansas City, Mo.


Great Volleyball Players Juliann Faucette,               Texas Longhorns


Juliann earned AVCA All-America First Team, AVCA All-Central Region First Team and All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2010. 

In addition, she earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors and NCAA Austin Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.

Faucette’s 4.55 points and 3.94 kills per-set each ranked fifth-best in the Big 12 Conference. The senior hit .263 on the season.


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