Recent Pepperdine graduate and volleyball player Julie Rubenstein is one of 30 semifinalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, and one of 10 Division I finalists, the NCAA announced last week.
The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors senior women student-athletes who have excelled in the areas of academic achievement, athletics, service and leadership. A committee composed of representatives from NCAA member schools and conferences selected the top 30 honorees,10 each from Division I, II and III, from a pool of 132 conference nominees.
The top 30 will be trimmed to nine finalists-three from each division-next month. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the national winner from that pool of finalists. The recipient of the 19th annual award will be announced during the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year Awards dinner on Oct. 18 in Indianapolis.
Rubenstein led the WCC in both kills (4.42) and points (5.14) per set in 2008. She finished her Pepperdine career third all-time with 1,743 kills, third with 2,064 points, fifth with 4.12 kills per set and fifth with 116 service aces. She never missed a set in her four-year career, playing in all 423, and helped the Waves to NCAA Tournament appearances all four seasons.
-Zach Hamilton