This isn’t a career achievement award.

Sure, Erica Gerth is Eastern’s all-time leader in kills (1,774), attempts (4,850) and digs (1,666).

But in her final season, things were different.

“I took a different approach,” she said. “This year, I knew it was the end, and I didn’t leave anything behind.

“So I just put everything out there each match.”

Playing with the knowledge that her career was nearing its end, Gerth saved the best for last.

As a senior, Gerth had career highs in kills (543) and hitting percentage (.269), all while leading the Panthers to a 25-6 record and a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title.

And people noticed.

The Panther volleyball team set attendance records at Lantz Arena and had over 1,500 on hand to witness the home finale.

“Having a winning record brings people,” she said. “And we didn’t look up in the stands too often, but just one glimpse up there and seeing all the seats filled – we’d never seen that before.”

And Gerth said the fan support helped the team play with pride in front of its fans.

“It meant so much to us that we were able to bring that many people, and that many people wanted to watch us play,” she said.

Each season, Gerth said she tried to improve one aspect of her game, and a lot of those improvements came on defense.

“I just knew working hard would pay off and that I’d be able to do more for the team,” she said.

The hard work led the Panthers within one match of a NCAA Tournament berth.

The team’s success even took Gerth by surprise.

“I think it was during the preseason when we saw what we had at each position,” Gerth said. “I don’t think anyone had an idea we’d be as good as we were.”

And Gerth was good, picking up OVC Player of the Year honors.

However, all of her on-court achievements are supplemented by what Gerth accomplished in the classroom.

Graduating in seven semesters, Gerth complied a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

“Academics were always a priority,” she said. “Being able to represent Eastern as a student-athlete is what I’m hoping to leave here.

“It was harder for me to accomplish things in the classroom than it was on the court.”

But accomplishments followed Gerth around, whether it was a spot on Academic All-America first team or OVC Player of the Year.

Now, she can add Female Athlete of the Year to that list.