Feb. 6, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn.--The Yale volleyball team handed out its postseason awards at the annual team banquet, held Saturday night at the Ray Tompkins House. Ally Mendenhall earned team MVP honors, while Allison Kaptur was named Most Improved. Kali Nelson and Nicole Perkins shared the Coaches' Award. Mendenhall was also introduced as the 2008 team captain.

Mendenhall, the only Yale player to appear in every game in each of the last two seasons, was named second team All-Ivy for the second straight season. Yale's starting setter dished out 1,087 assists, the fifth-highest single-season total in school history, and finished second in the Ivy League with 11.96 assists per game. Mendenhall also tallied 269 digs, 67 kills, 34 blocks and 31 aces, and hit .236. She was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Oct. 30 after finishing one kill shy of her first career triple-double in Yale's five-game win over Dartmouth.

Kaptur emerged as a regular at middle blocker midway through the season, playing in 35 games and making nine starts. She tallied 69 kills and 42 blocks while leading Yale with a .286 hitting percentage. Kaptur posted at least seven kills in six straight matches, including a career-high 13 in the win over Dartmouth, and recorded a career-best 10 blocks at Cornell. She led the Ivy League with 1.34 blocks per game in conference matches and had the league's third-best hitting percentage (.333) in conference play. Kaptur earned the Coaches' Award last season.

Nelson switched positions this season, moving from outside hitter to opposite hitter. The transition didn't phase her. Nelson tallied 164 kills, the second-highest total of her career. She finished sixth on the team with 1.93 kills per game and earned honorable mention All-Ivy recognition.

Perkins appeared in 48 games at outside hitter, making eight starts. She was fifth on the team with 129 kills and third with 2.69 kills per game. Perkins posted double-digit kills eight times, including a span of five straight matches. She had 13 kills and a career-high seven blocks at Princeton, and posted career-highs with 22 kills and eight digs at Cornell.

Seniors Morgan Hume, Maribeth Martens, Nelson and Perkins were also honored for their four years of service. The Bulldogs finished 70-29 during their careers, including a 44-14 record against Ivy League foes, and all four were members of Yale's 2004 Ivy League championship team. Martens was also recognized as the team's outgoing captain.

The Bulldogs begin the 2008 season by hosting the annual Yale Classic on Sept. 12-13. Boston College, Colgate and Hofstra will also participate in the event. Yale also plays preseason tournaments at Albany and National Champion Penn State.

Report filed by Joe Clifford, Yale Sports Publicity