LEXINGTON, Ky. – For just the third time in program history, the Salisbury University volleyball team has produced a three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American, as middle blocker
Gwen Eustace was named to the
2025 AVCA Division III All-America First Team on Wednesday morning.
Eustace (Sr. – Olney, Md.) closes her collegiate career as a three-time All-American after making the Third Team in 2024 and earning Honorable Mention in 2023.
Already one of only five Sea Gulls to earn multiple All-America nods, she is now the third player in school history to make three All-America sides, joining
Chelsea Glowacki (2010-12) and
Katie Stouffer (2014-16). Eustace, the program's 21st All-American overall, is also just the second-ever SU player to make the AVCA's First Team (
Carley Todd, 2012).
"There are truly no words to describe how proud I am of Gwen and everything she's accomplished," said Sea Gull head volleyball coach
Kendall Jacobsen. "This award reflects the dedication, work, and heart she has poured into the past four years. She is not only an incredible athlete, but an exceptional leader, teammate, and person. We're going to miss her so much, but I know she will go out into the world and make history just like she did here, and I can't wait to cheer her on every step of the way."
Already one of Division III's most formidable forces as the net, Eustace took her game to new heights in 2025 by setting career highs in kills (436), kills per set (3.35), hitting percentage (.511), blocks (129, 49 solo), points (529), and points per set (4.07). Her eye-popping .511 swing rate leads all three levels of NCAA volleyball by 44 points at the time of this release, with Division I Nebraska's Andi Jackson (.467) ranking second overall and Wentworth's Riley Schoonmaker (.434) next-closest in Division III.
Eustace also boasts elite Division III national rankings in total blocks (9th), points (14th), kills (30th), blocks per set (0.99, 64th), points per set (75th), kills per set (109th), synthesizing her stalwart defensive numbers with attacking stats more befitting of an outside hitter.
A machine of swinging consistency, this season Eustace recorded 16 matches of double-digit kills and a hitting percentage north of .500. Three times she reached the 20-kill plateau in a match, attacking at an aggregate .633 clip in those victorious bouts with Middlebury (Sept. 13), Stockton (Nov. 7), and Colorado College (Nov. 20). Her finest moment came in last Thursday's NCAA Tournament First Round showdown with Colorado College, during which she hammered a career-high 25 kills to lead the Sea Gulls to a five-set triumph over the Tigers.
Eustace adds a top national prize to a 2025 trophy haul that features All-Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) and AVCA All-Region First Team laurels – her third of each – five C2C Offensive Player of the Week nods, and spots on the C2C All-Tournament Team and
NCAA Cambridge, Mass. Regional All-Tournament Team. With Eustace leading the way up front, Salisbury went 29-7 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years.
With a slot among the nation's best-of-the-best, Eustace has cemented her place as one of the greatest Sea Gull volleyball players of all-time. Over 124 of a possible 126 career matches, she registered 1,151 kills (2.25 K/S) and 423 blocks (0.94 B/S) – good for ninth and third on the SU leaderboard, respectively – as well as 163 digs, 44 service aces, 23 assists, and 1,465.5 points (3.25 PT/S). Over her four years on roster, Salisbury posted a record of 95-31, won the 2023 C2C championship, and played in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, with Eustace herself becoming the first-ever SU player to take the floor in an NCAA Tournament game for four straight years.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 206 conference championships, and have produced 53 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
