UF VB | Six Gators Earn SEC Honors - South Florida Tribune

Ceasar, Forte, Hall and Monserez named to All-SEC Team; Beason and Kelley tabbed to All-Freshman squad

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

T’ara Ceasar, Lauren Forte, Thayer Hall and Marlie Monserez each earned a spot on the All-SEC Team, while Merritt Beason and Bre Kelley were named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Florida and Kentucky were the only two schools to have received four All-SEC Team selections and two SEC All-Freshman Team selections.

This is the fourth SEC accolade for both Hall and Ceasar, while Forte is collecting the second All-SEC honor of her career.

Monserez, Beason and Kelley each grabbed their first conference honor for their performances in the Orange and Blue this season.

A breakdown of each honoree’s accolades are below:

Merritt Beason

* First SEC honor
* Recorded her first double-double on Nov. 13 against Arkansas
* Has tallied double-digit kills in five matches
* Scored at least 10.0 points in 13 matches during the 2021 campaign
* Registered a career-high 16 kills against Minnesota on Sept. 5
* Recorded a career-high 17 digs against Arkansas on Nov. 13
* Has posted six blocks twice throughout the season, a career-high for the freshman
* Two-time SEC Freshman of the Week during the 2021 campaign
T’ara Ceasar

* Fourth SEC honor (All-Freshman – 2017, All-SEC – 2017, 2020)
* Currently ranks third in the league in kills per set, third in points per set and fifth in service aces per set
* Has recorded 12 double-doubles on the year, leading the way for the Gators
* Has reached double-digit kills in 23 matches over the course of the 2021 campaign
* Sits first on the team in kills (377), points (435) and service aces (32), second in digs (269), fourth in assists (25) and fifth in blocks (48.0)
* Her 19 kills against Baylor on Sept. 11 is the highest total in the conference for a three-set match
* Her 25-kill performance against Tennessee on Nov. 4 is the second-highest total in the conference for a four-set match
* Her 31.5 points were a school record for a four-set match during the rally scoring era
* Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week (Nov. 15)
* Two-time SEC Overall Player of the Week during the 2021 campaign
* Two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week during the 2021 campaign
* 2020 AVCA All-American
Lauren Forte

* Second SEC honor (All-SEC – 2020)
* She sits eighth in the nation and second in the conference in hitting percentage
* Ranks first on the team in hitting percentage (.420) and blocks (83.0), fourth in kills (168) and points (215)
* Has reached double-digit kills in five matches over the course of the 2021 campaign
* Has hit over .300 in 18 matches this season, including a season-high .667 against Minnesota (Sept. 5) and Auburn (Nov. 17)
* Her 10 blocks against Arkansas on Nov. 12 is the third-highest total in a match across the SEC this season
* 2020 AVCA All-American
Thayer Hall

* Fourth SEC honor (All-Freshman – 2018, All-SEC – 2019, 2020)
* Has recorded seven double-doubles on the year
* Has reached double-digit kills in 16 matches over the course of the 2021 campaign
* Tallied at least 10.0 points in 18 matches this season
* Sits second on the team in kills (258), third in assists (46), fourth in digs (235) and service aces (17) and sixth in blocks (42.0)
* Three-time AVCA All-American
Bre Kelley

* First SEC honor
* Has started the last 10 matches for the Gators
* Sits third on the squad in blocks per set (1.02) and tied for sixth on the team in total blocks (42.0)
* Notched a career-high nine kills against Arkansas on Nov. 13
* Recorded a career-high seven blocks in the same match
* Has recorded at least four blocks in six of her 16 appearances this fall
Marlie Monserez

* First SEC honor
* Currently sits second in the SEC and eighth nationally in assists per set
* Has recorded 11 double-doubles on the year, good for second on the team
* Has posted over 40 assists in 10 matches this season
* Sits first on the team in assists (1090), third in digs (267) and service aces (20), fourth in blocks (54.0) and sixth in kills (89)
* Recorded a career-high 23 digs against LSU on Oct. 10
* Her 42 assists against both Ole Miss (Oct. 2) and South Carolina (Nov. 21) are the third-highest total in a three-set match this season in the SEC
* Dished out 56 assists against Minnesota on Sept. 5, the second-highest total in a four-set match by an SEC setter this season
* Five-time SEC Setter of the Week during the 2021 campaign
* Two-time SEC Overall Player of the Week during the 2021 campaign
* 2020 AVCA All-American
2021 ALL-SEC AWARD WINNERS
Player of the Year: Alli Stumler, Kentucky
Libero of the Year: Eleanor Beavin, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Emma Grome, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Jillian Gillen, Arkansas
Coach of the Year: Julie Darty Dennis, Mississippi State

2021 ALL-SEC TEAM
Jillian Gillen

Arkansas

T’ara Ceasar

Florida

Lauren Forte

Florida

Thayer Hall

Florida

Marlie Monserez

Florida

Emma Grome

Kentucky