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AVCA Names Kucerkova and Biddulph to All-Region Squad
Senior in pool for national All-America bid

Karla Kucerkova	Cutrina Biddulph

December 11, 2002

WASHINGTON — American University senior Karla Kucerkova (Olomouc, Czech Republic) added to her list of accolades a spot on the 2002 AVCA Northeast All-Region Team, as freshman Cutrina Biddulph (Reseda, Calif./Granada Hills) was named an All-Region Honorable Mention performer today. The pair are the first two all-region selections in AU volleyball history. Kucerkova will be eligible for national All-America status to be chosen from the regional teams later this month.

It’s the second major award in two weeks for Kucerkova, who was named the University Division Verizon Academic All-America of the Year for Volleyball. She is the first student-athlete from American University ever to receive such an award and second to be chosen as a national player of the year.

She was named the Patriot League Player of the Year in both 2001 and 2002 after leading AU to a 28-0 record in two years of membership in the Patriot League. In both seasons Kucerkova has led the league in kills as an outside hitter. On Nov. 1, she reached the 1,000 kill milestone in a 3-0 blanking of Colgate, finishing with 513 on the season. She set a new school for career kills with 4.16 per game.

Kucerkova, who was a repeat District 2 Verizon Academic All-America selection this fall, was the 2001 Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and helped her team earn the 2001-02 AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award.

Biddulph was the 2002 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and a Second Team All-Patriot League pick after leading the league in hitting percentage and finishing sixth in blocks. Three times she was the Patriot League Rookie of the Week as the Eagles went a perfect 14-0 and captured their second straight league championship title. She was also named to the Duke Classic All-Tournament team against a field of nationally ranked teams.

American saw its season end on Dec. 5 with a NCAA Tournament First Round loss to No. 24 South Carolina. The Eagles finished the regular season with a 26-8 record.

American University, which fields a 19-sport NCAA Division I athletics program featuring 10 women’s sports and nine for men, recently completed its inaugural year of membership in the Patriot League. The University had an extremely successful year to date on respective fields of play, capturing league championships in men's cross country, women's cross country, men’s soccer, women's soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis, and regular-season titles in men’s basketball and women’s lacrosse.

Chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893, American University features students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 160 nations worldwide.