SAN FRANCISCO – Junior Kiara McKibben headlines a group of six women honored by the West Coast Conference for their commitment to academics, announced today by the league.

"As a volleyball program we take pride in achieving all Four Pillars that athletic director Scott Sidwell lays out to us," explained USF head coach Gilad Doron. "In my mind, there is no difference in achieving in the classroom, with community service, leadership or being competitive on the court. These things all go hand in hand. It's a great testament to our kids and how they perform as well-rounded student-athletes."

The setter from Colorado Springs, Colo., earned distinction as a member of the 2015 WCC All-Academic Team for maintaining a 3.47 cumulative grade point average in her pursuit of a degree in business administration. On the court, she finished with a team-best 687 assists, or 6.36 per set. Her career tally of 2,059 assists stands in seventh all-time. McKibben was an All-Academic honorable mention selection last season.

A fivesome on the Dons volleyball squad earned honorable mention distinction in 2015. Sophomores Jessica Gaffney and Oluoma Okaro, junior Katarina Pilepic and seniors Sara Staengle and Jurja Vlasic were picked to the list.

The senior duo of Staengle and Vlasic anchor the solid academic standing of the team. Staengle, an outside/opposite hitter from Sindelfingen, Germany, leads the way with a 3.84 gpa in her studies in marketing. 2015 marks her second nod as a WCC All-Academic honorable mention student-athlete. Vlasic, a setter from Zagreb, Croatia, maintains a 3.63 gpa and is majoring in psychology with a minor in neuroscience.

Along with her work in the classroom, she is also a member of the HOPE Team of Dons: Do Something About It.  Vlasic's role as a peer educator is to meet with USF students individually and in workshops to promote appropriate decision making as it relates to alcohol and bystander intervention.

Gaffney (3.69, kinesiology), Okaro (3.43, undeclared science) and Pilepic (3.22, business administration) round out the selections for the Dons. The trio of starters held down the attack for USF offense, and Pilepic was named an All-WCC honorable mention selection for her contributions on the court.

All told, this group of six women combined for 942 kills, 1,221 assists, 931 digs, 238 blocks and 96 service aces during the season. The Dons closed with a 17-14 record, and went through the non-conference slate unscathed for just the second time in program history.

"To have so many girls on the list is impressive," said Doron. "It shows that our program continues to grow and improve. Six players on all-academic, our RPI is up, we have a winning season with adversity, and it's a reflection of everyone's commitment to excellence and aiming higher. That's the bottom line. I am proud of how our players represent the University as true student-athletes dedicated to success in the classroom, on the court, and in everything they do."

The WCC selects an all-academic squad for each WCC-sponsored sport. To be eligible for consideration student-athletes must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative gpa while also being a significant contributor to her team.

2015 WEST COAST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

Name	School	Class	GPA	Major
Amy Boswell	BYU	Jr.	3.90	Nursing
Mia Feiner	Pacific	Sr.	3.83	Communications
McKayla Ferris	Gonzaga	Jr.	3.58	Classical Civilizations
Kristen Gegenbacher	San Diego	So.	3.89	Communication Studies
Lauren Joseph	Gonzaga	Sr.	3.70	Mechanical Engineering
Kiara McKibben	San Francisco	Jr.	3.47	Business Administration
Kirsten Mead	Santa Clara	So.	3.88	Economics
Ashley Morgan	Pepeprdine	So,	3.55	Sports Medicine
Gaby Palmeri	Pepperdine	Jr.	3.72	Biology
Danielle Rottman	Santa Clara	Sr.	3.42	Communications
Kimmy Whitson	Pacific	Sr.	3.90	Computing/Applied Economics
Whitney Young Howard	BYU	Jr.	3.69	Athletic Training

 
2015 WCC VOLLEYBALL ALL-ACADEMIC HONORABLE MENTION
Natasha Calkins, Santa ClaraGiGi Cresto, Santa Clara; Morgan Douglass, Gonzaga; Paige Folger, Gonzaga; Jessica Gaffney, San Francisco; Mary Hernandez, Saint Mary's; Alex Holt, Pacific; Katarina Inch, Santa Clara; Amber Mirabello, Loyola Marymount; Oluoma Okaro, San Francisco; Ciara Parker, BYU; Katarina Pilepic, San Francisco; Morgan Robinson, Portland; Alexis Salmons, Saint Mary's; Mary Shepherd, Santa Clara; Sara Staengle, San Francisco; Lizzy Tardieu, San Diego; Jurja Vlasic, San Francisco; Alicja Wilk, Pacific