LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Seniors
Kelsey Christoferson and
Katie Stevens have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 8 Volleyball College Division Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Thursday.
It was the second consecutive year the duo earned All-District honors. Christoferson, a middle blocker from Carlsbad, was one of seven players named to the first team while Stevens, a libero from El Dorado, earned second-team recognition.
Christoferson, who was a first-team All-District 8 selection in 2008, holds a 3.98 GPA in mathematics. On the court, she has been a huge part of Biola's successful 2009 campaign, ranking second on the squad with 221 kills (2.43 per set) and third with 67 blocks (0.64 per set). Christoferson also leads the team and ranks fifth in the Golden State Athletic Conference with a .352 attack percentage.
Stevens, who was a second-team selection in 2008, maintains a 3.91 GPA in business. She is one of the GSAC's top liberos, ranking fourth in the conference with 4.05 digs per set. Stevens has posted at least 20 digs in five matches this season including the last two which happened to be wins over No. 2 California Baptist and No. 11 Vanguard. She is the Biola career record-holder in digs with 1,952 in four seasons with the Eagles and is on pace to eclipse the 2,000-dig mark in her final home match against Point Loma Nazarene on Nov. 14.
To be nominated for all-district consideration, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for her career. No athlete is eligible until he has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing. District 8 college division covers all NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA schools in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and British Columbia.
As a member of the district's first-team, Christoferson is now eligible to earn Academic All-America honors. There have been only three Biola athletes to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors, the last was volleyball's Meghan Warkentin in 2008. The 2009 Volleyball Academic All-American team will be announced on Monday, Nov. 23.