Woolard, Abdell Named ESPN Academic All-Americans

BOCA RATON – Lynn University’s Devon Woolard and Kala Abdell have been named to the 2010 ESPN Academic All-America® Volleyball Teams as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).  Woolard is a first team selection while Abdell received second team honors.

The Fighting Knights were the only school in the College Division to have multiple honorees while joining Stanford University to have at least two selections in all divisions.  This is also the first time Lynn has had multiple selections on the ESPN Academic All-America Team.

Now a two-time Academic All-America selection after garnering second team honors as a junior, Woolard is the second Fighting Knight to receive multiple selections (Michelle Newman, third -2001; first – 2003).  She holds a 4.0 cumulative grade point average in Business Administration.

Woolard was a second team All-Sunshine State Conference selection as a senior after quarterbacking arguably the most balanced offensive attack in the nation. Lynn was the only school in Division II to have six players record at least 200 kills.  The first Fighting Knight to have four straight 1,000 assists seasons, Woolard led the team in assists and finished second in digs to lead the Blue & White to its fourth straight NCAA Tournament.  A local out of Delray Beach, Fla., Woolard is the second 1,000/1,000 player in Lynn history with a program-record, 4,564 assists and 1,174 digs, a mark that is fourth all-time at Lynn.

This is the first time Abdell has been named an Academic All-American despite recording a 4.0 cumulative grade point average in Advertising and Public Relations.  She finished third on the Fighting Knights with 219 kills (2.43 per set) and 65 total blocks (.72 per set) as a senior.  A native of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., Abdell proved to be one of Lynn’s most versatile players while also finishing among the team’s leaders with 115 digs on the season.  The senior outside hitter came on strong in the final month of the season and recorded a season-high 17 kills and a career-high 20 digs for a double-double in a win over Barry in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

LU finished the season with a 21-10 overall record and a program-best 11-5 mark in the SSC.  It was the fourth-straight season that Lynn recorded at least 20 wins and its fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance.