University of Georgia Athletics
Circle Of Honor To Induct Priscilla Pacheco
September 19, 2006 | Volleyball
It didn¹t take long for Priscilla Pacheco to become Georgia's top volleyball player, as she was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 1991 while leading the team in kills. She started every match during that ¹91 campaign, and with
4.26 kills-per-game the "Spike Doctor" had officially arrived.
Pacheco was just 16 years old when she came to Athens from Austin, Texas, to start her Bulldog career. The Georgia program recruited the USA Today All-American from the time she was a sophomore at Westwood High where she participated in the National Junior Olympics for six years. And she was an All-State selection in Texas, one of the nation's premier volleyball states.
At Georgia Pacheco lived up to her prep accomplishments. By her sophomore year she was the SEC¹s leader in kills, earning All-Conference honors as well as All-Region. In a Georgia victory over LSU, she tied the school¹s record for kills in a match with 38.
After her second year she had over 1,100 kills ­ already a fine career ­ but her last two seasons may always be remembered as some of the finest in league history.
As a junior she passed the SEC¹s career and attacks records, set three school marks and even had a few personal bests along the way. The American Volleyball Coaches Association picked her as the National Player of the
Week, an All-South Region team member and the first All-American in Georgia history. Her nation¹s-best 754 kills led the Bulldogs to one of the best seasons in school history, with a record of 29-6 and a finish at the NCAA¹s
Sweet Sixteen.
Surely it couldn¹t get any better in 1994 . . . but it did. Pacheco ended her career with another All-America award and broke the NCAA record for kills in a match with 53 in a win over Kentucky. She was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and led the nation with 785 kills. She was also named the SEC Tournament MVP, and for the fourth consecutive year was an All-SEC and All-Region selection
In four years she played in a total of 139 matches, never missing a start, and lead the team to four straight NCAA tourney appearances.
Pacheco's final kills total of 2,675 was good enough for third all-time in the NCAA record book and No. 1 in SEC history. No one in the league has come close since. The "Spike Doctor" ended her reign with two NCAA records, two conference records and four school marks.
