Pestolesi, Piggott Named AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans

Dec. 16, 2009

IRVINE, Calif. --- Kari Pestolesi (Huntington Beach/Edison HS) and Juliane Piggott (Newport Beach/UCLA) were named AVCA honorable mention All-Americans, giving UC Irvine two honorees for the first time in program history.

Pestolesi earned the accolade after leading the team in kills with 437 and a 3.87 average. The outside hitter also topped the team in aces with 41 and was second in digs with 442. Pestolesi concluded the season ranked 53rd in points per set at 4.47, 68th in the nation in kill average and 77th in aces per set at 0.36. She was among the top 10 in the Big West in kills, aces and digs the entire season and went on to collect her third All-Big West first-team nod. Pestolesi, a three-time AVCA All-West region honoree, earns her first All-America distinction.

Piggott earned her first All-America recognition after a solid first season with the Anteaters. The junior outside hitter posted 353 kills and was 10th in the Big West with a 3.15 kill average. She had a team-high 13 solo blocks to go along with 39 block assists, finishing the season fourth in total blocks while adding 26 aces and 198 digs. Piggott recorded a career-high 27 kills in the Big West Conference title match against Long Beach State while blasting a personal-best .538 hitting percentage in an errorless performance against Northeastern.