UF VB | Five Gators Earn SEC Honors

Holly Carlton, T’ara Ceasar, Lauren Forte and Thayer Hall named All-SEC; Elli McKissock named to SEC All-Freshman Team

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida placed five student-athletes on this year’s Southeastern Conference Teams, as announced by the league on Sunday.

Holly Carlton, T’ara Ceasar, Lauren Forte and Thayer Hall each earned a spot on the All-SEC Team, while Elli McKissock was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Florida and Kentucky are the only two schools to have received at least four All-SEC Team selections.

This is the third SEC accolade for Ceasar, who earned both All-SEC and All-Freshman honors in 2017 while at Georgia.

Carlton – a 2018 AVCA All-American – grabbed the first All-SEC honor of her career, while Hall brought her total to three SEC accolades in three seasons (2018 – All-Freshman, 2019 – All-SEC).

Forte – who transferred to the Gators in January – is no stranger to conference honors, as she was named All-Pac-12 in 2018 and 2019, in addition to her All-SEC spot this season.

In her first year as a Gator, McKissock earned a spot on the All-Freshman team for her performance in the libero jersey.

A breakdown of each honoree’s accolades are below:

Holly Carlton

  *   First All-SEC honor
  *   Currently ranks ninth in the league in blocks per set (0.97)
  *   Sits first on the team in service aces (22), second on the team in blocks (71), third in kills (182), points (242) and assists (64), and is sixth on the team in digs (49)
  *   Recorded double-digit kills in eight matches this season
  *   Hit over .300 in 11 of the 22 matches this season
  *   Scored at least 10.0 points in 14 matches this season
  *   Her .733 hitting percentage (12-1-5) against Missouri ranks second in the SEC for the highest attack percentage this season (min. 12 kills)
  *   Her 55-assist performance against LSU is the second-highest total for assists in the SEC in a four-set match this season
  *   2018 AVCA All-American
T’ara Ceasar

  *   Third All-SEC honor
     *   Earned All-SEC and All-Freshmen Team honors in 2017 at Georgia
  *   Currently ranks fourth in the league in kills per set (3.92) and fifth in points per set (4.49)
  *   Has racked up nine double-doubles this season, the third-highest total in the conference this season
  *   Sits first on the team in kills (298), points (341) and service aces (22), second on the team in digs (194) and sixth on the team in blocks (34)
  *   Has notched double-figure kills in 18 of the 22 matches this season
  *   SEC Offensive Player of the Week (2/15)
  *   Her 24-kill performance against Missouri is the sixth-highest total in the SEC this season
  *   Her 19-kill performance against Tennessee is tied for the second-highest total in the SEC in a three-set match this season
  *   Registered a season-high 24 kills against Missouri on March 12
     *   Along with Hall’s 24 kills, the duo was the first Gator pair to record 20+ kills since Chloe Mann & Alex Holston on Nov. 3, 2013 (Texas A&M)
Lauren Forte

  *   First All-SEC honor
  *   Joined the Gators at the beginning of the spring portion of the schedule, missing the first eight matches in the fall
  *   Currently ranks first in the league in hitting percentage (.481)
  *   Sits first on the team in hitting percentage (.481), fourth in kills (95), and is fifth on the team in blocks (35) and points (116)
  *   Recorded a season-high 12 kills against Kentucky (3/19/21)
  *   Registered at least eight kills in 7 of her 14 matches this season
  *   Hit over .400 in 10 matches this season
  *   Earned All-Pac-12 Team honors in 2018 and 2019
  *   Named to the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team in 2018
Thayer Hall

  *   Third All-SEC honor in three consecutive years
     *   2019 All-SEC selection & 2018 SEC All-Freshmen Team
  *   Has racked up two double-doubles this season
  *   Sits second on the team in kills (261) and points (298), fourth in digs (135) and blocks (37) and is tied for fourth on the team in service aces (14)
  *   Has notched double-digit kills in 13 of the 22 matches this season
  *   Registered a season-high 24 kills against Missouri on March 12
     *   Along with Ceasar’s 24 kills, the duo was the first Gator pair to record 20+ kills since Chloe Mann & Alex Holston on Nov. 3, 2013 (Texas A&M)
  *   Her .667 hitting percentage (16-2-21) against Arkansas ranks fourth in the SEC for the highest attack percentage this season (min. 12 kills)
  *   Her 24-kill performance against Missouri is the sixth-highest total in the SEC this season
  *   Her 19-kill performance against Alabama is tied for the second-highest total in the SEC in a three-set match this season
  *   Two-time AVCA All-American
Elli McKissock

  *   First SEC honor
  *   Currently ranked second in the league in digs per set (3.84)
     *   During the spring matches, she averaged 4.38 digs per set, taking full libero responsibilities
  *   Sits first on the team in digs (280), second in assists (78) and is tied for fourth on the squad in service aces (14)
  *   Recorded a double-double against Missouri on March 12
     *   This was the first double-double by a Florida libero since 2006 when Elyse Cusack recorded 10 assists and 17 digs against Georgia on Oct. 22
  *   Registered double-digit digs in 16 matches this season
  *   Her 24 digs in the three-set win against LSU is the highest total in the SEC in a three-set match this season
     *   This was the third-highest total in a three-set match at Florida in the rally-scoring era
  *   Her 23 digs against Kentucky is tied for the second-highest total in the SEC in a five-set match this season
  *   SEC Defensive Player of the Week (2/15)
  *   SEC Freshman of the Week (4/2)
2020-21 ALL-SEC AWARD WINNERS
Player of the Year: Madison Lilley, Kentucky
Libero of the Year: Gabby Curry, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Taylor Head, Arkansas
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Jillian Gillen, Arkansas
Coach of the Year: Jason Watson, Arkansas and Craig Skinner, Kentucky
2020-21 ALL-SEC TEAM
Jillian Gillen

Arkansas

Holly Carlton

Florida

T’ara Ceasar

Florida

Lauren Forte

Florida

Thayer Hall

Florida

Gabby Curry

Kentucky

Madison Lilley

Kentucky

Avery Skinner

Kentucky

Madi Skinner

Kentucky

Alli Stumler

Kentucky

Azhani Tealer

Kentucky

Taylor Bannister

LSU

Gabby Waden

Mississippi State

Kylie Deberg

Missouri

Anna Dixon

Missouri

Andrea Fuentes

Missouri

Mikayla Robinson

South Carolina

Lily Felts

Tennessee

2020-21 SEC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Taylor Head

Arkansas

Elli McKissock

Florida

Phoebe Awoleye

Georgia

Madi Skinner

Kentucky

Paige Flickinger

LSU

Lilly Gunter

Mississippi State

Riley Whitesides

South Carolina

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