Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Four Salukis named to 2014 MVC Scholar-Athlete teams
11/25/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Four members of the Saluki volleyball team were recognized as MVC Scholar Athletes this week. Taylor Pippen was selected to the 2014 MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete First Team for the second consecutive year. Senior Alex Rivera and sophomores McKenzie Dorris and Hannah Kaminsky were also recognized as members of the MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention Team.
Pippen, a junior, is studying accounting and finished the 2013-14 academic year with a 3.692 cumulative GPA. She has been an integral part of SIU's success this season, leading the Salukis and the MVC with a .413 hitting efficiency. She also leads SIU with 106 blocks, eight solo.
Rivera, originally from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, posted a 3.63 GPA in international studies, and leads the Salukis with 470 digs, 4.27 per set this season, to rank seventh in the Valley. Kaminsky, last year's MVC Freshman of the Year, finished the 2013-14 year with a 3.61 GPA in marketing. She currently ranks ninth in the Valley with 5.99 assists per set and fifth in the conference with 32 service aces. Dorris made a name for herself early in the season with a string of powerful blocks, pushing her to second in the MVC with an average of 1.10 blocks per set. She holds a 3.93 cumulative GPA in art and communication design.
Forty-two student-athletes were nominated for the Valley's scholar-athlete team. The criterion for the honor parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75-percent of the regular-season matches. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore status in both athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen were not eligible). Both teams consist of 12 athletes each.
