Carter Named Big 12 Freshman of the Year; Martin, Nembhard Earn All-Big 12 Honors
Apr 08, 2021 | Volleyball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State freshman outside hitter Aliyah Carter was named the 2020 Big 12 Freshman of the Year in addition to being a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection while Shelby Martin and Jayden Nembhard also took home all-conference honors, the league office revealed Thursday.
Carter becomes K-State's second Big 12 Freshman of the Year, joining Kylee Zumach who claimed the title in 2014. Martin, a senior transfer setter, was voted onto the second team while Nembhard joined Carter on the all-rookie team. The honors were selected in a vote of the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for players from their own institution.
A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Carter turned in 4.11 kills per set and 4.47 points her set – both the highest rates by a freshman in program history. Her kills-per-set average is the fourth-best mark by a Wildcat in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) and broke Cari Jensen's freshman record of 4.00 that stood since 2000.
Carter was tabbed Big 12 Rookie of the Week on five occasions while being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week once, as her six weekly accolades are a new single-season record for a Wildcat during the Big 12 era.
During her initial campaign, Carter shattered K-State's freshman single-match kill record, recording 27 against Texas State on March 4. She totaled six matches with at least 20 kills and owns the top three kill totals as a Wildcat freshman.
Martin was tabbed Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on October 27 after registering a triple-double (11 kills, 38 assists, 10 digs) in a five-set win over Oklahoma. It was K-State's first triple-double since Katie Brand's in 2014.
A Waxahachie, Texas, product, Martin averaged 9.50 assists per set, fifth-best in the Big 12. She also averaged 1.84 digs per set and served up 11 aces.
Nembhard, a freshman outside hitter from Keller, Texas, was twice named Big 12 Rookie of the Week during the fall (October 6, November 10). In her first collegiate start at West Virginia, Nembhard logged 24 kills in a five-set win over the Mountaineers on October 1. She followed that up with 19 more the next day, helping the Cats sweep the road series.
She finished the season with an average of 3.04 kills a set and reached double-digit kills six times. Nembhard added 23 digs and 19 blocks to go with 3.27 points per set.
K-State (13-8, 10-6 Big 12) finished third in the Big 12 during the 2020 season, its highest conference finish since 2008.
2020 ALL-BIG 12 VOLLEYBALL POSTSEASON AWARDS
Coach of the Year: Jerritt Elliott, Texas (20th season)
Player of the Year: Logan Eggleston, Texas* (OH, Jr., Brentwood, Tenn.)
Setter of the Year: Jhenna Gabriel, Texas* (S, Jr., Missouri City, Texas)
Libero of the Year: Shanel Bramschreiber, Baylor (L/DS, Jr., Plano, Texas)
Freshman of the Year: Aliyah Carter, K-State (OH, Dubuque, Iowa)
ALL-BIG 12 FIRST TEAM
ALL-BIG 12 SECOND TEAM
ALL-BIG 12 ROOKIE TEAM
Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes
*Unanimous selection
Carter becomes K-State's second Big 12 Freshman of the Year, joining Kylee Zumach who claimed the title in 2014. Martin, a senior transfer setter, was voted onto the second team while Nembhard joined Carter on the all-rookie team. The honors were selected in a vote of the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for players from their own institution.
A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Carter turned in 4.11 kills per set and 4.47 points her set – both the highest rates by a freshman in program history. Her kills-per-set average is the fourth-best mark by a Wildcat in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) and broke Cari Jensen's freshman record of 4.00 that stood since 2000.
Carter was tabbed Big 12 Rookie of the Week on five occasions while being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week once, as her six weekly accolades are a new single-season record for a Wildcat during the Big 12 era.
During her initial campaign, Carter shattered K-State's freshman single-match kill record, recording 27 against Texas State on March 4. She totaled six matches with at least 20 kills and owns the top three kill totals as a Wildcat freshman.
Martin was tabbed Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on October 27 after registering a triple-double (11 kills, 38 assists, 10 digs) in a five-set win over Oklahoma. It was K-State's first triple-double since Katie Brand's in 2014.
A Waxahachie, Texas, product, Martin averaged 9.50 assists per set, fifth-best in the Big 12. She also averaged 1.84 digs per set and served up 11 aces.
Nembhard, a freshman outside hitter from Keller, Texas, was twice named Big 12 Rookie of the Week during the fall (October 6, November 10). In her first collegiate start at West Virginia, Nembhard logged 24 kills in a five-set win over the Mountaineers on October 1. She followed that up with 19 more the next day, helping the Cats sweep the road series.
She finished the season with an average of 3.04 kills a set and reached double-digit kills six times. Nembhard added 23 digs and 19 blocks to go with 3.27 points per set.
K-State (13-8, 10-6 Big 12) finished third in the Big 12 during the 2020 season, its highest conference finish since 2008.
2020 ALL-BIG 12 VOLLEYBALL POSTSEASON AWARDS
Coach of the Year: Jerritt Elliott, Texas (20th season)
Player of the Year: Logan Eggleston, Texas* (OH, Jr., Brentwood, Tenn.)
Setter of the Year: Jhenna Gabriel, Texas* (S, Jr., Missouri City, Texas)
Libero of the Year: Shanel Bramschreiber, Baylor (L/DS, Jr., Plano, Texas)
Freshman of the Year: Aliyah Carter, K-State (OH, Dubuque, Iowa)
ALL-BIG 12 FIRST TEAM
| Name, School | POS | HT | YR | Hometown |
| Shanel Bramschreiber, Baylor | L/DS | 5-8 | Jr. | Plano, Texas |
| Lauren Harrison, Baylor* | OH | 6-0 | So. | Stone Mountain, Ga. |
| Kara McGhee, Baylor | MB | 6-4 | So. | San Antonio, Texas |
| Yossiana Pressley, Baylor * | OH | 6-0 | Sr. | Cypress, Texas |
| Eleanor Holthaus, Iowa State | RS | 6-1 | Jr. | Richmond, Minn. |
| Caroline Crawford, Kansas | MB | 6-3 | Fr. | Lansing, Kan. |
| Jenny Mosser, Kansas* | OH | 5-11 | Gr. | Lakeville, Minn. |
| Aliyah Carter, K-State* | OH | 5-9 | Fr. | Dubuque, Iowa |
| Guewe Diouf, Oklahoma | OH | 5-11 | Fr. | Marignane, France |
| Brionne Butler, Texas* | MB | 6-4 | Jr. | Kendleton, Texas |
| Logan Eggleston, Texas* | OH | 6-2 | Jr. | Brentwood, Tenn. |
| Skylar Fields, Texas* | OPP | 6-2 | So. | Missouri City, Texas |
| Jhenna Gabriel, Texas | S | 5-8 | Jr. | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Asjia O'Neal, Texas* | MB | 6-3 | So. | Southlake, Texas |
| Briana Lynch, West Virginia | MB | 6-2 | Sr. | Johns Creek, Ga. |
ALL-BIG 12 SECOND TEAM
| Name, School | POS | HT | YR | Hometown |
| Candelaria Herrera, Iowa State | MB | 6-1 | Sr. | San Juan, Argentina |
| Shelby Martin, K-State | S | 5-11 | Sr. | Waxahachie, Texas |
| Keyton Kinley, Oklahoma | DS | 5-5 | Sr. | Lexington, Ky. |
| Julia Adams, TCU | OH | 6-3 | So. | Plano, Texas |
| Katie Clark, TCU | MB | 6-3 | Jr. | Arlington, Texas |
| Molly Phillips, Texas | MB | 6-5 | So. | Mansfield, Texas |
| Caitlin Dugan, Texas Tech | OH | 6-1 | So. | Gilbert, Ariz. |
| Samantha Sanders, Texas Tech | OH | 6-2 | Sr. | Waco, Texas |
| Lacey Zerwas, West Virginia | S | 6-2 | Jr. | Phoenix, Ariz. |
ALL-BIG 12 ROOKIE TEAM
| Name, School | POS | HT | YR | Hometown |
| Caroline Crawford, Kansas | MB | 6-3 | Fr. | Lansing, Kan. |
| Ayah Elnady, Kansas* | OH | 5-1 | Fr. | Cairo, Egypt |
| Aliyah Carter, K-State* | OH | 5-9 | Fr. | Dubuque, Iowa |
| Jayden Nembhard, K-State | OH | 6-1 | Fr. | Keller, Texas |
| Guewe Diouf, Oklahoma* | OH | 5-11 | Fr. | Marignane, France |
| Nalani Iosia, Texas | L | 5-8 | Fr. | Torrance, Calif. |
Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes
*Unanimous selection
Players Mentioned
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