March 4, 2008

IRVING - Fresh off Conference USA Player of the Week honors, Valerya Berezhysnka added All-Conference USA Second Team accolades Tuesday afternoon as announced by the league office.

Berezhynska headlined the Owls and C-USA in league games, averaging 18.4 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in eight games. She has recorded double figures in 18 of her 21 appearances on the season and has reached the 20-point mark eight times, including four of her last five games heading into the C-USA Tournament.

"Val put together an amazing second half after missing the first half of the conference season with an injury," head coach Greg Williams said. "It's a great tribute to her that she can make the second team when a quarter of the teams in the league didn't see her play this season. I don't think there would have been any doubt that she would have been on the first team if she played all 16 conference games."

Berezhynska is one of three players in C-USA to average a double-double and has tallied a double-double in six of her last eight games, including the program's first career triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a nationally televised game at Tulane (Feb. 14).

The Ukraine native won three C-USA Player of the Week awards and matched a career-high 20 rebounds against Marshall (Feb. 28). The 20 rebounds equal the highest rebounding total by a C-USA player.

Rice squares off with East Carolina in the C-USA Tournament opening round. Tip-off is slated for 7pm CT at the UCF Arena. KTRU 91.7 FM and RiceOwls.com will have all of the action live.

Below are the All-Conference USA Teams as selected by the league's coaches, sports information directors and selected media.

2007-08 All-C-USA Women's Basketball Teams
First Team
Janielle Dodds (SMU)
Jareica Hughes (UTEP)
Pauline Love (Southern Miss)
Twiggy McIntyre (Houston)
Diamond Rogers (UAB)

Second Team
Valeriya Berezhynska (Rice)
Natasha Lacy (UTEP)
Izabela Piekarska (UTEP)
LaCoya Terry (East Carolina)
Jasmine Young (East Carolina)

Third Team
Tye Jackson (Houston)
Ashley Langford (Tulane)
Tia Lewis (UCF)
Crystal McFadden (UAB)
Larrissa Williams (Tulsa)
Delisha Wills (SMU)

All-Freshman Team
Emma Cannon (UCF)
Cobilyn Hill (Houston)
Tia Lewis (UCF)
Amanda Peterson (UAB)
Courtney Taylor (Houston)

All-Defensive Team
Casey Baker (Marshall)
Chanel Johnson (Tulsa)
Natasha Lacy (UTEP)
Sharee Shepherd (SMU)
Jasmine Young (East Carolina)