WSU volleyball standout Magda Jehlářová named AVCA National Freshman of the Year

Magda Jehlářová’s freshman season has been over for two weeks, but it keeps getting better.

The Washington State University standout was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s National Freshman of the Year – the first Cougar to earn a national freshman of the year award in any sport – and an AVCA second-team All-American.

Jehlářová, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker from the Czech Republic, is the fifth Cougar to make an AVCA All-American team, joining Keri Killebrew (1992), Sarah Silvernail (1995, 1996), Stephanie Papke (1996) and Taylor Mims (2018). Past AVCA Freshman of the Year winners include Stanford’s Kathryn Plummer and Kerri Walsh and USC’s April Ross.

“That is just a huge award, and the company that’s she’s in with is just outstanding,” WSU coach Jen Greeny said. “It’s just remarkable for somebody that just came to the U.S. in July and in the (Pac-12) conference we’re in to put up those kind of numbers against the quality of opponents we faced week in and week out.”

Jehlářová’s awards collection includes Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, All-Pac-12 first team and AVCA Pacific North Region Freshman of the year. She was the only freshman to make the All-Pac-12 first team.

Jehlářová had 180 total blocks, fourth nationally and fifth on WSU’s single-season list. She finished with 268 kills and a .357 hitting percentage, the latter ranking third on the school’s single-season list.

“She’s just so humble, so thankful just for the opportunity to be here and to play,” Greeny said. “It couldn’t happen to a better person.”