Northwestern University Athletics
Abbott Signs To Play Professional Volleyball in Italy
1/29/2018 12:38:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MODENA, Italy — After concluding her senior season in which she earned 2017 AVCA All-Region, First Team All-Big Ten, and All-American Honorable Mention honors, Symone Abbott will continue her volleyball career professionally after signing a contract with Liu Jo Nordmeccanica Modena to play in the Serie A1 League in Italy.
"We are thrilled for Symone to have the opportunity to continue her career overseas, playing in one of the best volleyball leagues in the world," head coach Shane Davis said. "We are looking forward to watching her grow, and Modena is getting an incredible talent."
She is scheduled to debut with the team on February 1 and will play through the end of the team's Serie A1 season.
"This is such an eye-opening experience being in such a beautiful city," Abbott said. "I have loved interacting with the people who live here and being immersed in the culture non-stop. But most importantly, the volleyball is competitive and challenging, which is a definite high point."
The Northville, Michigan, native was one of the top attackers in the nation this season, posting a Big Ten-high 10.72 attacks per set, while finishing the regular season third in the conference with 4.00 kills per set. It was the second-consecutive season Abbott has averaged four kills per frame, making her just the third player ever in Northwestern history to accomplish such a feat.
Abbott also ended her senior campaign in the top-50 nationally in kills per set, while hitting for a career-high .248 hitting percentage on the season. She finished the season as the first NU player since 2013 to earn First Team All-Big Ten nods from the conference.
The senior was a consistent presence for the Wildcats as she led the team in kills 22 times in 2017, registering more than 20 on four different occasions. Abbott finished her career tied for second in program history with an average of 3.71 kills per set and fourth in career kills with 1,616.
In Northwestern's five-set victory over Indiana last season, Abbott set a new career high in kills with 29, tied for the fifth most ever recorded by an NU player in a match. Then just one week later, Abbott matched that total against Maryland, becoming just the third player in Northwestern history to ever record more than 28 kills in multiple matches.
Abbott is the only American player on Modena. VolleyMob gave high praise to Abbott's signing: "The jump from NCAA volleyball to Italy's A1 League, arguably the best league in the world, is indeed enormous, and it is rare that American players make that jump straight from college."
"We are thrilled for Symone to have the opportunity to continue her career overseas, playing in one of the best volleyball leagues in the world," head coach Shane Davis said. "We are looking forward to watching her grow, and Modena is getting an incredible talent."
She is scheduled to debut with the team on February 1 and will play through the end of the team's Serie A1 season.
"This is such an eye-opening experience being in such a beautiful city," Abbott said. "I have loved interacting with the people who live here and being immersed in the culture non-stop. But most importantly, the volleyball is competitive and challenging, which is a definite high point."
The Northville, Michigan, native was one of the top attackers in the nation this season, posting a Big Ten-high 10.72 attacks per set, while finishing the regular season third in the conference with 4.00 kills per set. It was the second-consecutive season Abbott has averaged four kills per frame, making her just the third player ever in Northwestern history to accomplish such a feat.
Abbott also ended her senior campaign in the top-50 nationally in kills per set, while hitting for a career-high .248 hitting percentage on the season. She finished the season as the first NU player since 2013 to earn First Team All-Big Ten nods from the conference.
The senior was a consistent presence for the Wildcats as she led the team in kills 22 times in 2017, registering more than 20 on four different occasions. Abbott finished her career tied for second in program history with an average of 3.71 kills per set and fourth in career kills with 1,616.
In Northwestern's five-set victory over Indiana last season, Abbott set a new career high in kills with 29, tied for the fifth most ever recorded by an NU player in a match. Then just one week later, Abbott matched that total against Maryland, becoming just the third player in Northwestern history to ever record more than 28 kills in multiple matches.
Abbott is the only American player on Modena. VolleyMob gave high praise to Abbott's signing: "The jump from NCAA volleyball to Italy's A1 League, arguably the best league in the world, is indeed enormous, and it is rare that American players make that jump straight from college."
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