From all the initial nominations, 30 student-athletes who have notable achievements in four areas of excellence-community, classroom, character and competition-were chosen as candidates to move forward in the award process. The candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists by a national media committee midway through the regular season, with the final 10 then being placed on the official ballot.

 "This is a great honor for Amanda," RMU head volleyball coach Dale Starr said. "Her hard work and dedication to her studies, community service and on the court is very deserving of this type of recognition. She is one of the hardest working athletes I have ever coached, and we are very proud of her for receiving this nomination. The Lowe's Senior CLASS award is a prestigious award and to be nominated with the group of athletes that make the top 30 is a great honor for her and for Robert Morris volleyball.  We wish her the best of luck."

Graham carries a 3.98 cumulative grade point average into her senior year. She was named to the ESPN The Magazine District II Academic All-America First Team in 2009. The nuclear medicine technology major was also named the 2009 Northeast Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and has made the Dean's List every semester she has attended Robert Morris. The NEC has named Graham to its Academic Honor Roll for the last three years, and she was also named to the NEC Commissioner's Honor Roll in its first season last year.

Graham has been a dominant force for the Colonials since stepping on the court her freshman season when she led the Northeast Conference (NEC) in hitting percentage (.344) in 2007. She finished sixth in the NEC in kills per game (3.41) while also leading Robert Morris in all blocking categories in her rookie year. Graham was named All-NEC First Team and was subsequently named to the NEC All-Tournament Team after recording 35 kills and 10 blocks in the conference postseason.

Graham picked up where she left off during her sophomore season as she finished second in the league in hitting (.312) and tied for second in aces per game (0.42). Graham once again led RMU in all blocking categories, including breaking the single-season school record for block assists (84). She led her team to the 2008 NEC regular-season championship as the Colonials went undefeated in league play and was again recognized by receiving All-NEC Second Team honors.

Graham continued to post strong numbers despite missing nine matches in her junior season. She finished second in the NEC in hitting (.332) and fourth in blocks per game (1.14), while tying her own school record for block assists. She helped Robert Morris qualify for its 11th consecutive NEC Tournament, the longest current streak in the conference, and was named All-NEC First Team again. Graham enters her senior year ranked among the all-time top ten in program history in four categories:  second in hitting percentage (.332), second in block assists (233), tied for ninth in solo blocks (54) and tenth in aces (100).

Sportscaster Dick Enberg, honorary chair of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, first conceived the idea of an award for seniors in 2001. The award was initially awarded in men's and women's basketball, but has since expanded to numerous other NCAA sports. The 2010 season marks the first year that a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award will honor a NCAA volleyball student-athlete.

Graham will begin her senior season with her Colonial teammates Friday, August 27, as RMU co-hosts the Duquesne / Robert Morris Invitational. Robert Morris will host Radford at 11 a.m. in the John Jay Center in the first of four matches it will play over the weekend.