Kansas Jayhawks
Allie Nelson - Volleyball - Kansas Jayhawks
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Allie Nelson

Position Libero/Defensive Specialist
Height 5'6''
Class Senior
Hometown Chicago, Ill.
High School Oak Park-River Forest HS

OVERVIEW

  • Ranks 7th in the Kansas record books in career digs (1273) and 23rd in assists (212), while leading KU in digs in three consecutive season (2017-19)
  • Tallied a team-best 514 digs in 2017, averaging the sixth best digs per set season total (4.36) in program history
  • Finished with team-highs in digs (398) and digs per set (3.65) in 2018 with her 3.65 average ranking as the 9th-best single season mark
  • Started all 30 matches as KU’s libero in 2017, ranking fourth in the Big 12 in digs per set (4.36)
  • Used as a reserve during KU’s 2016 Big 12 title run, averaging 1.33 digs per set

AWARDS & HONORS

  • Academic All-Big 12 [2016-17 All-Big 12 Rookie Team, 2017 First Team, 2018 Second Team, 2019 First Team]
  • Wolfpack Invitational All-Tournament Team [2017]

2019 (SENIOR)

  • Played in all 26 matches as the libero and appeared in all 96 sets
  • Finished as the team leader with 345 digs, averaging a team-high 3.59 digs per set
  • Recorded 12 service aces and 42 assists
  • Tallied double-digit digs in 19 matches
  • Recorded a season-high 25 digs against West Virginia (Oct. 10)

2018 (JUNIOR)

  • Played in 27 matches (109 sets) and served as the primary libero
  • Led Kansas in digs (398) and digs per set (3.65)
  • Finished with double-digit digs in 19 matches and logged a season-high 26 digs against Arkansas (Aug. 24)
  • Tallied 20 or more digs against Arkansas (26/Nov. 24), Drake (21/Sept. 18), TCU (23/Sept. 22), at Oklahoma (25/Sept. 26), Baylor (24/Oct. 6), at West Virginia (22/Oct. 31) and Kansas State (23/Nov. 14)
  • Finished with a season-high nine assists against Kansas State (Nov. 14)
  • Earned a single service ace in 12 matches
  • Serving on KU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the 2018-19 academic year

2017 (SOPHOMORE)

  • Started all 30 matches at the libero position, helping guide the Jayhawks to a sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament
  • One of four Jayhawks to play in all 118 sets
  • Ranked fourth in the Big 12 in digs per set (4.36)
  • Reached 20 digs in eight matches, including four 20-dig efforts in four-set matches
  • Totaled 10 aces on the season
  • Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree
  • Earned Wolfpack Invitational All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 5.15 digs per set and helping hold opponents to a .196 hitting percentage during the tourney hosted by NC State
  • Made first-career start as KU’s primary libero at NC State (Aug. 25), recording 22 digs, six assists and one ace
  • Posted a co-season-high 28 digs in a four-set victory against Missouri State (Aug. 26)
  • Recorded 10 digs in a three-set victory over No. 13 Kentucky (Sept. 4)
  • Made a SportsCenter Top 10 play with a kick-touch to keep a rally live during a four-set win over No. 17 Purdue (Sept. 8) — finished with 16 digs against the Boilermakers
  • Recorded 15 digs in just three sets against No. 9 Creighton (Sept. 9)
  • Opened the Santa Clara / San Jose State Invitational with 18 digs, two aces and seven assists against San Jose State (Sept. 15)
  • Posted 27 digs in five sets at Santa Clara (Sept. 15)
  • Began Big 12 play with a season-high three aces during KU’s five-set win at Kansas State (Sept. 24)
  • Posted 24 digs during a five-set win over No. 18 Iowa State (Sept. 17)
  • Reached 21 digs in four sets at West Virginia (Oct. 4)
  • The second of three times Nelson posted a season-high 28 digs came in five sets against No. 5 Texas (Oct. 11) — added four assists and an ace against the Longhorns
  • Set a season high for digs in a three-set match with 18 at No. 2 Texas (Nov. 15)
  • Ended the season with a co-season-high 28 digs and one ace in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Missouri (Dec. 1)

2016 (FRESHMAN)

  • Played in seven matches and 12 sets in her debut season at Kansas, averaging 1.33 digs per set and 0.25 aces per set
  • Made her collegiate debut and recorded her first-career dig against Eastern Washington (Aug. 27) at the Bulldog Invitational
  • Served up three aces in just two sets against Southeastern Louisiana (Sept. 17) at the Stacey Clark Classic
  • Two of her three aces came during a 9-0 run, which gave KU a 10-2 lead in the third set
  • Made her Big 12 debut against Baylor (Oct. 1), recording five digs and two assists in three sets

HIGH SCHOOL / CLUB

  • Four-year letter winner at Oak Park-River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois
  • Competed club volleyball with Michio Chicago Volleyball Academy
  • Was Oak Park-River Forest’s starting outside hitter as a freshman, before moving to the starting libero position during her sophomore year, helping Oak Park-River Forest to a 30-win season and a sectional championship
  • Earned all-conference honors as a junior and senior at Oak Park-River Forest

ACADEMICS

  • Majoring in finance in the School of Business at the University of Kansas
  • Two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree — a rookie-team selection as a freshman and first-team honoree as a sophomore

PERSONAL

  • Born Allie Grace Nelson in Oak Park, Illinois
  • Daughter of Scott and Ellen Nelson
  • Father, Scott, played minor league baseball for the San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers organizations
  • Mother, Ellen (née Mullarkey), was a two-time volleyball team MVP at the University of Iowa in 1986 and 1987