Deidre Downs, Miss Alabama and a former Virginia volleyball player, was selected as Miss America 2005 at the Sept. 18 pageant in Atlantic City.
Downs played volleyball for the Cavaliers during the 1998 season. She appeared in 24 matches as a back-up setter, posting 53 assists, 43 digs and three service aces for the Cavaliers, who went on to a 26-8 record and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA championship.
Her Virginia career would be brief, however, as she transferred to Samford University after her sophomore year.
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