KUTZTOWN, PA (August 23, 2010) – Kelsey Nester (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua) was awarded the annual Shannon Sullivan Memorial Scholarship Saturday afternoon during the volleyball team's preseason luncheon in the Multi-Purpose Room.
Nester is the fourth recipient of the Sullivan Scholarship, joining Jamie Celia (Douglassville, PA/Daniel Boone) (2009), Lindsay Confer (Wingate, PA/Bald Eagle) (2008) and Nicole Biuso (2007) as winners of the distinguished honor.
Last season in helping the Golden Bears finish second in the PSAC Eastern Division with a 16-13 overall record, Nester was fifth on the Golden Bears with 101 kills in her junior season. Her 2.02 kills per set average ranked second. Nester recorded 116 digs, 13 blocks and 11 service aces. She had a season-high 11 kills against Chowan and Millersville last year. Nester enters her senior year with 521 career kills and 179 blocks.
“Winning the Shannon Sullivan memorial scholarship is a huge honor,” Nester said. “There are many deserving girls on the team so to be chosen is an awesome privilege. Personally, I've never had the opportunity to meet Shannon, but she is still very much alive in our volleyball program and I can guarantee that she always will be.”
The Shannon Sullivan Memorial Scholarship was established in Shannon's memory. The Shannon Sullivan Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a member of the Kutztown University Women's Volleyball team who demonstrates the following characteristics passion for her sport, love for her teammates, and commitment to academic achievement, integrity and strength of character.
Sullivan was a four-year letterwinner (2002-05) for the Golden Bear volleyball team, who died in a car accident in August of 2006. She ranks fifth all-time at KU in digs (976). Sullivan was the only player to be a part of Kutztown's first three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Championships (2002, 2003, and 2005). Sullivan was named the 2005-06 Volleyball Coach's Award Winner, an honor given to a member of each team based on criteria selected by the coach.
Kutztown will meet Penn State-Berks on Monday, September 20, 2010 at Pine Grove High School in the annual fund-raiser for the Shannon Sullivan Memorial Scholarship at both Kutztown University and Pine Grove High School, where Sullivan was an all-state performer. The match begins at 7 p.m.
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