Bittinger Earns CoSIDA Academic All-America® Honors
12/8/2016 12:07:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
AUSTIN, Texas — Kent State junior outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger has been named to the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division I Volleyball Third Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the organization announced on Thursday.
An applied physics major with a 3.976 cumulative grade point average, Bittinger is the program's third student-athlete to be selected to a CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team, which recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom, and fourth overall honor. Rebecca Yarish was the first volleyball player to be recognized for the Golden Flashes in 1990 and Carrie Patterson was a two-time honoree (1998-99).
On the court, Bittinger earned All-Mid-American Conference First Team honors for the second straight year after ranking third in the conference in both kills per set (3.55) and points per set (4.01). She posted a MAC-best 16 double-doubles while leading all non-liberos with 370 digs and 3.19 digs per set. The versatile six-rotation player improved her blocking skills this past season and averaged a career-best 0.51 blocks per set, which included a team-high 18 block solos. Bittinger was the Flashes' most consistent offensive performer with double-digit kills in 25 matches.
During the MAC Volleyball Championship first round contest against Toledo, Bittinger made Kent State volleyball history as the first player to total 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her first three collegiate seasons and is just the fourth member of the 1,000-1,000 club. The Strongsville, Ohio native will enter her senior season next fall ranked 4th in program history in kills per set (3.23), 5th in attack attempts (3,407), 8th in digs per set (2.96) and 10th in kills (1,107).
Bittinger, who earned CoSIDA Academic All-District™ First Team honors for the second year in a row last month, added her second straight Academic All-MAC honor on Monday. She was also named MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week and MAC East Offensive Player of the Week twice each during the season.
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve and maintain at least a 3.30 grade point average. Of the 18 members of this year's CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division I Volleyball teams, Bittinger was one of only six student-athletes who will have eligibility remaining in 2017.
