Madison Lilley Named Finalist for 2021 Honda Award Madison Lilley Named Finalist for 2021 Honda Award

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky senior setter Madison Lilley is one of four finalists for the Class of 2021 Honda Sport Award for Volleyball as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).

Lilley joins Logan Eggleston of Texas, Dana Rettke of Wisconsin and Stephanie Samedy of Minnesota.

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 45 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.” The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2021 Honda Cup which will be presented on a telecast on CBS Sports Network, on June 28 at 9 p.m. ET.

The volleyball finalists were selected by a panel of coaches and experts from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The Honda Sport award winner for volleyball will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.

Lilley, an Overland Park, Kansas native, was recently named the 2020-21 AVCA Player of the Year. She is a four-time AVCA All-American, including first-team honors this season and led Kentucky to the 2020 NCAA National Championship. She was named the 2020-21 NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player after posting a career-high 19 digs in the championship match and adding 53 assists. She was also named the 2020-21 SEC Player of the Year.

During the tournament, Lilley averaged 13.8 assists per set, had six aces in UK’s five matches, and was second on the team with 3.35 digs per set. Lilley helped UK hit above .300 in all five matches in the Omaha bubble and put the cap on one of the most impressive individual seasons in NCAA Volleyball history.