Three Volleyball players earn academic honors
IRVING, Texas -- The third-ranked Texas Volleyball team placed three players on the 2007 Academic All-Big 12 Volleyball First Team, the league office announced Tuesday. Senior setter Michelle Moriarty, junior middle blocker Lauren Paolini and sophomore defensive specialist Heather Kisner all earned spots on the first-team, while Kisner was one of six league players carrying a perfect 4.00 grade point average. Kisner and Paolini claim their first academic honors and Moriarty garners her third first-team accolade of her career. The trio was also named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 6, with Moriarty and Kisner earning first-team honors and Paolini capturing a place on the second steam. Moriarty, Texas' all-time assist leader has paced the UT offense in her senior season, dishing out a conference-best 14.17 assists per-game and leading Texas to the top hitting percentage in the NCAA. She has recorded eight assist/dig double-doubles in 2007 and ranks second on the UT squad with 2.51 digs per-game. Kisner is a defensive stalwart in the Longhorns' back row, appearing in 21 matches, including 10 starts. The Sugar Land, Texas, native has recorded 1.82 digs per-game this season and has tallied seven service aces. Paolini has anchored the Longhorns' middle in 2007, hitting at a Big 12-best .452 clip in 16 conference matches. Her 1.32 blocks per-game rank fifth in the league and her 2.80 kills per-game rank fourth on the Texas squad. Among those honored were six nominated with a 4.00 grade point average. The players with a perfect GPA include Amy Vos (Iowa State), Kelsey Chipman (Kansas State), Christina Houghtelling and Sarah Pavan (Nebraska), along with Kisner and Alicia Ostmeyer (Texas Tech). The 53 student-athletes named to the squad were nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the volleyball academic all-league team consisted of 44 first team members combined with nine on the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA. To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of her team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible. Texas returns to action at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14 when it takes on Texas Tech in Big 12 Conference action at Gregory Gymnasium.
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