Hall of Fame
Sarah Silvernail is the most honored volleyball player in Cougar history. She dominated Pacific-10 Conference and NCAA volleyball during her illustrious career from 1993-96. She was a two-time All-American, the 1996 Pacific-10 Conference Athlete of the Year, and a three-time All-District 8 selection. Silvernail established WSU records for career kills (1,848), single season kills (649), and most kills in a match (39). Born in Spokane, schooled in Yakima and Tacoma, the 6-1 middle blocker truly was the best Athlete in the state of Washington and was selected 1996 Female Athlete of the Year by both the Greater Spokane Sports Association and the Tacoma News Tribune, in addition to being a finalist for the Seattle P-I's Star Award. Silvernail was the backbone of Cougar volleyball teams that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament in 1993, the first round in 1994, the second round in 1995 and the regional championships in 1996, her final collegiate season when she won team MVP honors. During her career she tallied double-figure kills in 96 of 120 matches (.800). In March of 1997, she was named to the USA National Team and spent the summer in Colorado Springs training for the 2000 Olympic Games. Silvernail played professionally with the USPV league in Chicago and a pro team in Switzerland.
