BATON ROUGE ? LSU middle blocker Lauren DeGirolamo and outside hitter Marina Skender picked up ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors Thursday as voted upon by the College Sports Information Directors of America [CoSIDA].
Both players have already completed their undergraduate work, and are perusing their master’s degrees. DeGirolamo earned first-team accolades and carries a 3.92 GPA majoring in education technology. Skender, a sports management major, checked in with a third-team selection and a 3.53 GPA.
“Lauren and Marina are both exemplary examples of what it means to be a student-athlete,” head coach Fran Flory said. “They work extremely hard not only on the court but in the classroom and have been a big part of building our program’s success over the last five years.”
DeGirolamo has popped 50 of her 106 kills and connected for a .311 hitting percentage over her last seven matches. She worked extremely hard on her back row defense during rehab after missing the second half of the 2008 season. The Belleville, Ill. product has reeled in seven or more digs in 16 of 23 matches this season. She also ranks sixth in the SEC with 1.14 blocks per set in league matches and notched SEC Defensive Player of the Week [Oct. 27].
Skender has returned to her 2007 form after missing all of last season and powered home double-digit kills in 19 of 23 matches, including 16 of her last 18 outings. Her 0.33 aces and 3.88 kills per set in SEC matches rank second and fourth, respectively. She became the fifth player in program history to join the 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs club and continues to climb up on the program list in both categories. The Croatia native has racked up 1,379 kills and 1,176 digs.
LSU starts a four-match road swing Friday at Ole Miss. First serve scheduled for 7 p.m. with live stats available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow in-match updates of the four-time defending SEC Western Division champions via www.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.
FIRST TEAM
Name, School, GPA, Major
Jessica Boulavsky, Rice, 4, Psychology / pre-med
Susan Boulavsky, Oklahoma, 3.9, Journalism
Lauren DeGirolamo, LSU, 3.92, Education technology
Heather Kisner, Texas, 3.58, Finance
Laurel Kuepker, Stephen F. Austin, 4, Liberal studies / social studies
Lauren Sears, Southern Miss, 4, Mathematics
Chloe Smith, Central Arkansas, 3.93, Digital filmmaking
SECOND TEAM
Name, School, GPA, Major
Rachael Adams, Texas, 3.48, Communication / advertising
Erin Birmingham, New Mexico State, 3.88, Ind. studies / exercise science
Cristin Curl, Central Arkansas, 3.83, Business management
Jennifer Doris, Texas, 3.55, Corporate communications
Kayla Woodard, Mississippi State, 4, Elementary education
THIRD TEAM
Name, School, GPA, Major
Anna Breyfogle, Baylor, 3.47, Psychology
Caitlin Clarke, Southern Miss, 3.56, Therapeutic recreation
Yelena Enwere, Northwestern State, 3.8, Health & human performance
Caitlin Higgins, Oklahoma, 3.39, University college
Tracey Lam, Rice, 3.68, Economics / Asian studies
Jennifer McClean, Rice, 3.83, Economics
Adrianne Meengs, Lamar, 3.86, General business
Sydney Milburn, Stephen F. Austin, 3.88, Biology
Marina Skender, LSU, 3.53, Sports management