Wacholder up for AVP MVP Honors

Is Rachel Wacholder the MVP of the AVP?
September 28, 2006
After surveying several top AVP players, five men's and four women's players were identified as the favorites to win the 2006 MVP of the AVP award. The MVP will be announced on October 5th at the AVP Award Ceremony. The five men, listed in alphabetical order, are Phil Dalhausser, Jake Gibb, Mike Lambert, Stein Metzger and Todd Rogers. The four women, listed in alphabetical order, are Misty May-Treanor, Rachel Wacholder, Kerri Walsh and Elaine Youngs.
Holly Stein
Rachel Wacholder
Rachel Wacholder was the tour's best defensive player and most improved player in 2005. She even garnered consideration for the 2005 MVP. And Wacholder was better in 2006.
Wacholder won two events in 2006 including the Hermosa Beach Open, one of the most prestigious events on tour, and made eight finals appearances. And that does not include the AVP Las Vegas Gods and Goddesses of the Beach tournament where Wacholder was selected by Kerri Walsh as her playing partner in the final. Walsh and Wacholder would go on to defeat Misty May-Treanor and Elaine Youngs.
In fact, Wacholder has appeared in more final fours and finals than any other players on tour beside May-Treanor and Walsh over the past two seasons.
The biggest news to hit the 2006 AVP Crocs Tour was the splitting of Wacholder and her former partner Youngs. The duo had won five championships together in a span of 23 tournament starts. The former partners faced off three times at the end of the 2006 season, with Wacholder winning each in three games.
With the pressure on to earn an invite to the Lake Tahoe Best of the Beach where a team's best six finishes were used to determine invitations, Wacholder and new partner Jen Boss qualified for Tahoe in just four regular season events. Overall the new duo played in five team events finishing second twice, third twice and fifth once.
Statistically, Wacholder held steady in two categories and improved dramatically in two other categories. Wacholder upped her dig total by 10 from 978 to 988, increased her ace total by one from 53 to 54 in 2006.
Wacholder made big improvements in both blocks and kill percentage. In 2005, Wacholder finished 30th in total blocks with 27. She nearly doubled that in 2006 finishing in 22nd in total blocks with 45. Wacholder also improved her kill percentage 11 points raising it from .419 to .430.
Wacholder is clearly one of the front runners for MVP of the AVP.