University of Minnesota Athletics
Paula Gentil Named to AVCA Mideast All-Region Team
12/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
In her senior season, Gentil leads the Big Ten in service aces per game at 0.51 sapg and is second in digs at 5.54 dpg. In conference play, Gentil led the way with 6.07 dpg. She is also currently 20th in the nation in digs per game. This season, Gentil finished with 637 digs. She is one of only two active players in the nation who have reached 500 digs in all four years of their collegiate career. Gentil has also reached 600 digs or more in her past three years with the Golden Gophers.
This past week, Gentil broke the 13-year old NCAA career digs record, previously held by Kim Diehlman (1989-92) from Hartford). She finished her career with 2,791 digs to surpass the record. Diehlman’s previous mark was 2,780. Gentil also stands to hold the NCAA career record for digs per game at 5.50.
In her career, Gentil broke the match, single-season and career records for digs at Minnesota and in the Big Ten. Last year, she broke the single-season NCAA digs record with 924 in a single-season.
Gentil is the only player in Minnesota history to be a four-time All-Big Ten honoree and a four-time All-Region honoree. She is also a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the only libero to be named an All-American in the first three years of the position being in existence in the NCAA. Last year, Gentil also became the first libero to be named a First-Team All-American.
Penn State’s Kaleena Walters and Ball State’s Amanda McCormick joined Gentil as one of three liberos named to the Mideast All-Region team. Those three players were among the seven liberos chosen for All-Region teams in the nation this year. In Gentil’s first two seasons (2002 & 2003), only three liberos were picked to All-Region teams in each year. Last year (2004), six liberos were named to All-Region teams. Candace Lee (Washington) and Megan McGrane (Pittsburgh) are the only other liberos to have been named to All- Region team multiple times in their careers.
The All-Region honor makes Gentil eligible to be an All-American for the fourth straight season. The AVCA All-American teams are scheduled to be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
