Sept. 20, 2012

BERKELEY -- Cal senior libero Robin Rostratter, a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic Team selection and winner of the 2010 NCAA Elite 88 Volleyball Award, has been named one of 30 candidates for the Senior Class Award for Volleyball, it was announced Thursday.

The Senior Class Award is awarded each year to a NCAA Division I senior who has notable achievements in community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior Class Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

It marks the third year in a row a Cal volleyball player has been selected as a candidate for the award. Setter Carli Lloyd was a finalist in 2010, as was former outside hitter Tarah Murrey in 2011.

"It is quite an honor a Cal player has once again been selected to be considered for this award," Cal coach Rich Feller said. "Robin is certainly deserving. Her commitment to her academics and volleyball have shown her to be a great representative of the student-athlete."

Rostratter, who has been sidelined so far this season with a groin injury, is on track to graduate with a double-major in media studies and Spanish. She sports a cumulative grade point average of 3.905. In 2010, her 3.81 GPA was the highest of any student-athlete participating in the NCAA championships, earning her the NCAA Elite 88 Volleyball Award.

A former walk-on, Rostratter has overcome a history of concussions that started in high school. She became the first NCAA Division I volleyball player to have a protective helmet approved for matches and practice.

Rostratter has been a member of the Cal Student-Athlete Advisory Committee since 2010 who has spearheaded countless charitable and philanthropic causes in the campus community. She has led outreach programs to spread awareness for cancer and physically challenged athletes, and served as a coach at Special Olympics athletic skills clinics and with the Cal Corps to help underprivileged children. Rostratter also helped pioneer Cal's first-ever award show and earlier this year was chosen to represent Cal at the NCAA Apple Conference, which allows student-athletes to collaborate with their peers across the country on spreading awareness of student-athlete health, wellness and substance abuse prevention.

As a junior on the court last season, Rostratter set Cal's single-season digs record with 571 and was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention.

The candidate pool will be trimmed to 10 finalists in October. The final ballot will be voted on by media, coaches and fans.