Eight Pac-12 volleyball players earn Academic All-District

SAN FRANCISCO - Eight student-athletes from seven Pac-12 volleyball teams earned 2014 Capital One Academic All-District VIII Division I honors, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. First-team selections included Bailey Bateman of UTAH, Jordan Burgess of STANFORD, Christina Higgins of CALIFORNIA, Karsta Lowe of UCLA, Krista Vansant of WASHINGTON and Emily Young of USC. Second-team selections were Lea Adolph of Utah and Laura Larson of ARIZONA. 

Bateman, a senior middle blocker for the Utes, picks up her second Academic All-District honor and first first-team honor. She is currently seventh in the Pac-12 in blocks per game with a 1.15 average, while holding a 3.71 grade point average (GPA) in sociology. Bateman was a Pac-12 All-Academic second team selection in 2013 and honorable mention in 2012. 

Burgess, a junior outside hitter for the No. 1 Stanford women’s volleyball team, is a human biology major at Stanford with a 3.53 GPA. Last season, she garnered Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention recognition. She is second on the team with 2.91 kills and 3.28 digs per set this season. 

Higgins is majoring in social welfare with a GPA of 3.70, and is on pace to graduate from Cal in three-and-a-half years. She is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention selection and was an AVCA All-America second-team honoree last season. The senior opposite hitter kills-per-set average of 3.78 leads the team and is eighth in the Pac-12. 

Lowe, an outside hitter for UCLA, currently leads the nation in kills per set with 5.96 and points per set with 6.58. A two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention selection, she also earned All-Pac-12 and AVCA All-Pacific South Region first-team honors as a junior. She holds a 3.35 GPA majoring in geography/environmental studies. 

Vansant, the reigning Pac-12 and AVCA Player of the Year, holds a 3.30 GPA majoring in sociology while also anchoring the Washington offense. Her 5.20 points per set are third in the Pac-12, while her 4.56 kills per set are fourth. Vansant was also the Honda Award winner in 2013-14 for women’s volleyball and a two-time AVCA All-America selection. 

Young holds a 3.69 GPA studying business administration, and has also begun coursework toward a master’s degree in communication management. A team captain, the senior has appeared in 19 matches for USC with eight starts and has moved into a steady role as USC’s setter in the front row. 

Adolph is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree, earning first-team honors in 2013 and second-team in 2012. A libero for the Utes, she has recorded double-digit digs in eight matches this season. 

Larson is a sophomore libero for the Wildcats and holds a 1.85 digs per set average through the 2014 season, having played in 80 sets with five match starts. 

The teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. First-team Academic All-District honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.