Sarah Noriega

Sarah Beth Noriega (Sulentor) (born April 24, 1976) is an American indoor volleyball player, a collegiate champion, and an Olympic athlete.[1][2][3]

Sarah Noriega
Personal information
Full nameSarah Beth Noriega Sulentor
Born (1976-04-24) April 24, 1976
Height187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Spike119 in (302 cm)
Block119 in (301 cm)
Volleyball information
Current clubA.S. Pallovolo Firenze
National team
United States
Medal record
Women's volleyball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games

High school

Noriega graduated in 1994 from Ulysses High School, in the small town of Ulysses, Kansas. There, she played on the volleyball team under coach Courtney Eslick, who described her as the best athlete he had ever coached. Though her high school team did not win any major championships, Noriega became a three-time WAC all-conference athlete, and, while playing for Ulysses High School, was a two-time all-state selection. She helped win Program-of-the-Year honors for her school for the 1992-93 season from the Kansas Volleyball Association.[1][3]

Collegiate and beyond

She played for Loyola Marymount University from 1994 to 1997, helping lead the team to three consecutive WCC championships, and was named the 1997 West Coast Conference Player of the Year.[2][3]

Noriega played with the US National team, participating in the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival, the World Games, the 2000 Olympics, and the 2002 World Championships.[3][2]

2000 Summer Olympics

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Noriega played for the United States national team as an "outside position player." With her as a starting player, her team defeated the teams from China, Kenya and Croatia before facing the Australia team - with Noriega, by then, having competed in 108 international competitions and three world championships.[4][1][2][5] Noreiga also participated in the USA defeat of teams from South Korea and Australia; however, two losses to Brazil and one to Russia pushed the team just outside the medals, ranking 4th in the 2000 Olympics.[6]

Honors and awards

Collegiate
  • 1997 West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year[2]
  • 1997-98 school year: LMU's Female Athlete of the Year[2]
  • All-District VIII honoree (three times)[2]
  • AVCA First Team All-American[2]
  • Volleyball Magazine All-American[2]
  • 1998 (February) Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Month[2]
  • All-West Coast Conference First Team selection (three-time)[2]
  • 2007 (October 13) fifth volleyball player in LMU history to have her number retired[2]
  • 2009 Loyola Marymount Hall of Fame[2]

Other
  • 2000 U.S. Olympian
  • 2012 Kansas Volleyball Association Hall of Fame[3]

Records and stats

NCAA records:

  • Most kills in a four-set match (47 kills on November 7, 1997, against San Diego)[2]
  • 1997-1998 Senior year: 614 kills, and led the nation with a kill average of 6.90[2]

Loyola Marymount rankings, as of 2009:

  • second in kill average (4.71)[2]
  • third in attack percentage (.319)[2]
  • third in one-year kills (614)[2]
  • third in one-year kill average (6.90)[2]
  • fourth all-time in kills (1,446)[2]

Extensive details on her performance stats are found at the Loyola Marymount Lions website, in the article about her induction to the LMU Hall of Fame.[2]

References
  1. Landon, Jan, "In Ulysses, hometown pride swells to Olympic proportions," September 20, 2000, Topeka Capital-Journal, retrieved January 15, 2018
  2. "The Road to the Hall: Sarah Noriega," January 20, 2009, LMU Lions Athletic News, Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  3. "Sarah (Noriega) Sulentor," Hall of Fame Class of 2012, Kansas Volleyball Association, retrieved January 15, 2018
  4. The Associated Press in "PLUS: VOLLEYBALL; Final Cuts Made," July 28, 2000, New York Times, retrieved January 15, 2018.
  5. Morris News Service, "Noriega finds Olympics thrilling, and is focused on win," Augusta Chronicle, retrieved January 15, 2018
  6. "Sarah Noriega Bio, Stats, and Results," in Olympics at Sports-Reference_com, retrieved January 15, 2018.
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