AZUSA, Calif. -- Sophomore outside hitter Jill Baker was rewarded for her record-breaking campaign with NAIA All-American first team recognition, becoming just the fourth first-team selection in Cougar volleyball history.

Baker claimed the program’s single-season kills record in Azusa Pacific’s NAIA Region II first round playoff defeat to Biola. She entered what would turn out to be the Cougars’ final match of the season with 592 kills, just 14 shy of the program-record 606 recorded in 1991 by Lenee Hill. Baker notched 15 kills in the first 2 games of the 3-game defeat, then added 8 more in the final to etch a record 615 kills into the Cougar record books.

An NAIA All-American honorable mention selection as a 2006 freshman, Baker becomes the seventh 2-time NAIA All-American in program history, and she joins Jenny Brickner as the only Cougars to earn first-team recognition as a repeat selection.

In addition to her program-record kill total, Baker led the Cougars in serving with a team-high 56 aces, and she also ranked second in blocks with 63 and third on the team with 382 digs.

She finished the campaign with 5 consecutive 20-kill efforts, including a program single-match record 37 kills in a 5-game road win over Vanguard in Azusa Pacific’s regular-season finale. Baker recorded 22 or more kills in 16 of the Cougars’ 31 matches this season, topping the 30-kill mark on 3 separate occasions.

Seniors Brianne Huff and Alison Pattison, along with junior Megan Burch, were named 2007 Volleyball Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes for their efforts both on the court and in the classroom.

Azusa Pacific finished the season ranked No. 5 in the NAIA with a 21-10 overall record, giving the Cougars 4 consecutive 20-win campaigns for the first time in program history. Despite the top-5 national ranking, Azusa Pacific did not receive an at-large bid into the 20-team national tournament field due to a rule that restricts the number of teams representing an individual region at the NAIA Tournament. The GSAC’s top 5 teams also occupied the top 5 spots in the final coaches poll, and the Cougars’ 3-game playoff loss to Biola sent the Eagles into the tourney as the final regional representative.

Click here to view the complete list of 2007 NAIA Volleyball All-Americans.

Click here for the 2007 Volleyball Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes.