2012 Volleyball Roster
Sep 18 (Thu)
6:00 PM
Megan Pendergast
- Position:
- Libero/Defensive Specialist
- Height:
- 5-6
- Class:
- Senior
- High School:
- Clear Creek
- Hometown:
- League City, Texas
The team's designated libero, is a tremendous athlete and feisty competitor who demonstrates superb technique in the back row...Possesses a deep passion for the sport and her team...Has a high understanding of the sport and is determined to learn everything she can and apply it to her game...Is willing to do whatever she can to help the team...From a family of Aggies, both her parents attended Texas A&M and her sister is Class of '15.
Pendergast's Honors
2012
SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week (10/1)
Texas A&M Best Defensive Player
2012 (Senior)
Was the starting designated libero in all 31 matches and played in 113 of 115 sets...Was the recipient of the Texas A&M Best Defensive Player award after leading the Aggies and ranking 11th in the SEC with 3.90 digs per set for the full season...Also led A&M and was seventh in the SEC with 4.10 digs per set in SEC matches only...Finished the season with 441 total digs, tying for seventh in the A&M all-time season records...Tallied a career-high 32 digs vs. Arkansas on Nov. 4, marking the second most digs by an A&M player during the rally scoring era --? including the 30-point scoring cap period -- and tying for eighth in the A&M all-time single match records...Posted double-digit digs in a team-high 24 matches and took team-high honors in digs in a team-leading 18 matches...Also led the team with six 20-plus dig performances in 2012... Became the first Aggie volleyball player to collect an SEC weekly honor as she was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 1 after averaging 5.14 digs per set while leading A&M to victories over both Missouri and Alabama in the Aggies’ first-ever SEC road trip...Also had a career-high eight assists in A&M’s first win in Columbia, Mo., since 2008...Tied for the team lead with 27 aces and ranked second on the team and 12th in the SEC and with 0.24 aces per set in all matches...Led the team with 663 service reception attempts and posted a .968 reception percentage.
2011 (Junior)
Transferred to A&M with two years of prior experience training with and competing against some of the best players in the country while at Nebraska and came highly recommended by Huskers coach John Cook...Was the starting designated libero in the last 28 of 31 matches...Tallied 419 total digs, ranking 10th in the A&M all-time single season records...Led A&M and ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 4.03 digs per set for the full season...Led A&M and was seventh in the Big 12 with 4.00 digs per set in conference matches only...Posted double-figure digs in a team-leading 25 matches...Led or tied for the team lead in digs 20 times, the most on the team...Tallied 20-plus digs four times in 2011, also a team high...Her four aces in a three-set win against Missouri tied for the most in the Big 12 in three-set conference matches only and tied for second most in all Big 12 matches only.
2010 (Sophomore/Nebraska)
Saw action in only three matches due to Nebraska's 6-2 rotation...Played in two Big 12 matches at Kansas State on Oct. 16 and in a home match against Colorado on Sept. 18...Recorded one dig against the Buffaloes...Made her season debut during the BYU Nike Invitational in a sweep of Cal Poly on Sept. 4...During the spring season, also saw some action in the front row...Had three kills, five digs, one block and one ace in two sets of the Huskers' five-set victory over Tianjin Bridgestone, one of the top professional teams in China.
2009 (Freshman/Nebraska)
Was Nebraska's defensive and serving specialist, averaging 1.33 digs and 0.21 service aces per set in 14 contests...Was used as a serving specialist in the NCAA opener against Coastal Carolina on Dec. 4, recording two aces in her only set of action...Came off the bench against Kansas State to record three digs in two sets on Nov. 25...Finished with five digs against No. 2 Texas on Sept. 26, even seeing time in the front row at the end of the second set, a 25-18 NU victory...Ran off seven straight points at the service line against Texas Tech, including an ace, in her only action against the Red Raiders on Sept. 16...Recorded a season-high two aces and chipped in seven digs in a five-set win over LSU on Sept. 4...Totaled a season-high 12 digs and added a service ace against No. 11 Minnesota on Aug. 29...Shattered Nebraska's Performance Index Record in fall testing with a score of 2,989, breaking the previous mark by over 300 points (Dani Busboom, 2628 in 2006), as she established program bests in both vertical jump (30.5 inches) and step approach (33.5 inches)...Was the only Husker in the top-five list in all four performance index tests (10-yard dash, pro agility, vertical jump and step approach)...Saw extensive action at defensive specialist in the spring, playing in all three of the Huskers' exhibition matches, as she enrolled in January of 2009.
Previous Athletic Experience
Was one of the top libero recruits in the country playing for Coach Scott Simonds at Clear Creek High School...Coach Simonds renamed the team's annual hustle award to The Megan Pendergast Hustle Award...Led the Wildcats to a 41-5 record and a state semifinal appearance in 2008...Named co-MVP of the All-Greater Houston team as selected by the Houston Chronicle...Named first-team all-state by the Texas Girls Coaches Association and was an all-state honoree by LoneStarVolleyball.com...Chosen to PrepVolleyball.com's All-America team and was rated the No. 42 senior in the country...Garnered Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 honors by averaging 4.3 kills and 3.1 digs per set from her outside hitter spot as a senior, while also serving as one of the team's primary passers...Earned District 24-5A MVP honors in 2008 after hitting .341 and chipping in 61 aces...Was a three-time all-greater Houston selection and all-district performer...Chosen as the Galveston Daily News Player of the Year in 2008...Collected first-team All-Texas honors from LoneStarVolleyball.com, averaging 4.1 kills and 4.1 digs per set...Played club volleyball for South Shore Juniors and Coach Todd Porter...Led her team to a fifth-place finish at the 2008 Junior Olympics U-18 Championships, earning a spot on the all-tournament team...Looked at a number of schools, including LSU, Oklahoma and Texas before selecting Nebraska.
Personal
Megan Elizabeth Pendergast is the daughter of Jim and Betsy Pendergast...Both of her parents graduated from Texas A&M, and her sister, Macey is A&M Class of 2015... Proclaims that she knew the words to A&M's school song "The Spirit of Aggieland" before she knew her ABCs...Began playing volleyball when she was 9 years old...Although played numerous sports growing up, decided to concentrate on volleyball because "it's the ultimate physical and mental challenge every point. You can never take a moment off"...Hobbies including golf, other sports, cooking and reading...Volunteers as a coach for the Texas A&M men's volleyball club team...Majoring in psychology, is slated to graduate in December 2013...Born May 16, 1990, in Webster, Texas.
Pendergast Up Close
- Favorite volleyball player: Allie Sawatzky
- Favorite athlete (any sport): Lindsey Miller
- Favorite professional sports team (any sport): Dallas Cowboys
- Favorite website: Twitter
- Favorite type of music: 80's music
- Favorite food: crispy bacon
- Favorite TV show: The Office
- Favorite book: Harry Potter
- Favorite movie: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
- Favorite part about the sport of volleyball: I am constantly learning new things from volleyball
- Favorite sport to play other than volleyball: table tennis
- Favorite summer job: camp coach
- Favorite thing about A&M: the traditions
- Favorite Aggie tradition: Aggie Ring
- Favorite Karaoke song to sing: No Scrubs by TLC
- Favorite piece of advice: "Good things always happen to people who work hard and never give up" -Mom
- The person who has had the greatest impact on my athletic career: my parents
- The accomplishment (athletic or non-athletic) that I am most proud of: Coach Simonds at my high school renamed The Hustle Award to The Megan Pendergast Hustle Award
- The person I would most like to meet: J.K. Rowling
- People have told me that I look like (name of celebrity): Macey Pendergast
- The most famous athlete I have met: Gina Mancuso
- The most famous non-athlete I have met: Oh She is an athlete but... Bobes Mancuso
- When I was little, I dreamed of being an: astronaut
- Something I've always wanted to do but haven't: go to space
- The reality show I would most like to participate in is: Amazing Race with my Dad
- Few people know that I: coach the A&M Men's Club Volleyball Team
- My best non-athletic talent: I know a lot of useless trivia
- My most prized possession: Spock (my dog)
- My most memorable athletic moment: running into Reed for the first time
- After I graduate, I plan to: coach college
- My dream job is: I secretly want to be a stand-up comedian
(8/12)
