TEMPE, Ariz.—Arizona State volleyball’s senior middle blocker/outside hitter Whitney Follette was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-Pacific-South Region Team, the AVCA announced on Tuesday.
“I’m so proud and extremely happy for Whitney,” head coach Jason Watson said. “She is such a stabilizing presence for our team. Her selflessness was called upon at numerous times this season and she responded brilliantly. Her play on the court is going to be difficult for us to replace. Yet, her attitude, work ethic and personality is going to be a much bigger void we are going to need to fill.”
Follette, who transitioned from middle blocker to outside hitter midway through the season, led the Sun Devils at the net during the 2015 campaign with 140 total blocks (113 block assists and 27 solo). She also tallied 25 service aces, tied for the most on the team, and her total of 113 block assists sits at No. 6 in the ASU single-season top-10.
She also added 246 kills on the year, including a high of 13 on Oct. 16 at USC, her first career appearance as an outside hitter.
In ASU’s five-set victory over Illinois, avenging the 2013 five-set loss in Champaign, Follette was error free with 10 kills for a season-high attack percentage of .625. She also she tallied eight or more total blocks four times, including a season-best nine in ASU’s five-set victory over New Mexico State (Aug. 29).
On Saturday, Oct. 24, against Colorado, Follette became just the fourth Sun Devil in program history to tally 400 or more blocks, recording the record-setting 400th on the final play of the four-set victory. She wrapped her career with 448, No. 3 all-time, and also finished at No. 2 all-time at ASU in block assists with 364.
A native of St. Albert, Canada, Follette was recently named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention list, and is a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention honoree (2013, 2014, 2015).
Follette and her fellow seniors helped ASU snap a 15-year losing skid to Stanford, making them the first class to defeat each of the 11 schools in the Pac-12, and they also made four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992-95. The cohort was responsible for 78 victories during the four-year span, the most since the 1992-95 seasons.
This marks the first time in program history that ASU has had AVCA All-Region honorees in back-to-back seasons, as Follette joins teammate Macey Gardner, who earned the honors in 2014, breaking a then-14 year drought.
Follette and Sun Devil volleyball will return in the spring for ASU’s third beach volleyball season.
Arizona State’s All-Time AVCA All-Region Honorees
Whitney Follette – Pacific South Region (2015)
Macey Gardner – Pacific South Region (2014)
Amanda Burbridge – Pacific Region (2000)
Follette’s Career Honors
Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention (2015)
Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention (2013, 2014, 2015)
Follette In The ASU Record Book
Single-Season Block Assists Top-10
1. 186—Tina Berg (1990)
2. 129—Debbie Penney (1990)
3. 128—Paige Mittelstaedt (2009)
4. 121—Alexis Pinson (2012)
5. 114—Tina Berg (1989)
6. 113—Whitney Follette (2015)
7. 111—Kirstin Mattson (1997)
111—Erica Wilson (2010)
9. 110—Nancy Christian (1993)
10. 108—Nancy Christian (1990)
Career Block Assists
1. Tina Berg, 1987-90—378
2. Whitney Follette, 2012-15—364
3. Sonja Markanovich, 2008-11—329
Career Total Blocks
1. Tina Berg, 1987-90—530
2. Tammy Webb, 1983-86—492
3. Whitney Follette, 2012-15—448
Yearly Season Team Leads
Block Solos
2015-27
2013-29
2012-11 (tied)
Block Assists
2015-113
2013-117
Service Aces
2015-25 (tied)
Attack Percentage
2013-.334