Jessica Lucas

Western Kentucky senior volleyball player Jessica Lucas was named Thursday as one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS award. Lucas is the second Lady Topper in program history to be a finalist, joining Ashley Potts.

“Jessica Lucas is the definition of that award,” coach Travis Hudson said in a news release. “Everybody gets to see what she’s like on the court and they can look at her grades and see what she’s like as a student, but she’s a first-class individual in every walk of her life.

“From the way she treats her teammates, the way she represents us walking around campus every day, I’m just really, really pleased she is being recognized for that at this level.”

CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. To be eligible for the award, an athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in community, classroom, character and competition.

On the court, Lucas’ list of accolades includes two Conference USA Setter of the Year honors in addition to the C-USA record with 18 Setter of the Week nods during her career. A three-time AVCA All-American, Lucas was also recognized last season for her efforts by PrepVolleyball.com, just to name a few.

In October, Lucas and fellow senior Alyssa Cavanaugh were named two of the nation’s 30 candidates for the award, making WKU one of four teams to have multiple candidates. Lucas has since been chosen by a selection committee as one of the remaining 10 finalists.

The Seymour, Ind., native is heavily involved with the Hope 4 Harlie and Friends of Jaclyn Foundations while also racking up community service hours through WKU athletics’ Hilltoppers with Heart campaign.

Lucas has spent time on the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll and earned a spot on the C-USA All-Academic Team last season.

Nationwide fan voting begins immediately, and fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through Dec. 4. Fan votes will then be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winner.

The Senior CLASS Award recipient will be announced during the 2017 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in December.{&end}