GREENWOOD, Ind. – Three members of the Salisbury University volleyball team garnered slots
on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) NCAA Division III Academic All-District team, as revealed by the organization on Tuesday. Setter
Julie Altieri, outside hitter
Alyssa DeWaal, and middle blocker
Gwen Eustace each earned recognition for their elite performances both on the court and in the classroom and beyond.
Altieri (Jr. – Hillsborough, N.C.) carried a 3.88 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) as an Exercise Science major. She has made the Dean's List at SU all four of her completed semesters and through the years has joined the Sea Gulls' team efforts around the community, including supporting Relay for Life, the Sea Gull Century bicycle race, and the Humane Society.
Altieri turned in another sterling season quarterbacking Salisbury, earning All-Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) First Team and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region Honorable Mention laurels after notching 1,050 assists (9.21 A/S), 305 digs (2.68 D/S), and 17 assist-dig double-doubles. Altieri finished the year ranked top 50 in Division III in both assists and assists per set.
DeWaal (Sr. – Keedysville, Md.) boasts a cumulative GPA of 3.78 as a Physical Education major. One of SU's most involved student-athletes, she serves as president of the Student Athlete Advisory Council and as a member of both the President's Student Advisory Council. DeWaal is also a supervisor of SU intramural sports, a member of the P.E. Society and the Kappa Delta Pi education honor society, and works with the Athletic Communications staff through the Sea Gull Sports Network (SGSN).
DeWaal set career highs in all major statistical categories as a senior, posting 188 kills (1.58 K/S), 88 digs, and 20 blocks. Her best all-around performance came in an NCAA Tournament First Round matchup with Colorado College on Nov. 20, during which she matched her career high with 12 kills and ran down six digs to help the Sea Gulls win a five-set thriller.
Eustace (Sr. – Olney, Md.) becomes a three-time Academic All-District honoree on the back of a 3.96 GPA as a Fine Arts major with an emphasis on painting. Through the years she has been an active member of the team's collective service efforts in addition to joining the Zeta chapter of the Chi Alpha Sigma student-athlete honor society. Back home she has also supported her high school's athletic booster club and volunteered at community father-daughter dances.
Eustace capped her SU career in grand fashion, registering 436 kills (3.35 K/S) and 129 blocks (0.99 B/S) while swinging at a .511 attack rate that led all levels of NCAA volleyball. Eustace adds to a postseason haul that includes All-C2C First Team, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Offensive Player of the Year, AVCA All-Region First Team, and AVCA All-America First Team laurels.
Select student-athletes from the Academic All-District rolls will now advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot, as to be voted upon by CSC members. The three teams' worth of honorees will be revealed on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
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.
