Nov. 15, 2001

Columbia, Mo..- Junior outside hitter Lisa Morris was named to the 2001 Verizon Academic All-America District VII volleyball Team, it was announced Thursday. Morris has been named to the team the past two seasons as she received second team honors last season from Verizon. Morris joins Nebraska's Griechaly Cepero, Nancy Metcalf, and Laura Pilikowski, Jill Arganbright of Northern Iowa and Angela Knopf of Colorado State on the first team

Before being sidelined for the season with a blood clot in her right shoulder after the Kansas match on Nov. 3, Morris averaged 4.10 kill and 2.53 digs per game through 21 matches. Morris also led the Tigers in service aces with 35 and was averaging 0.40 blocks per game. A native of Overland Park, Kansas, she currently ranks second on the Missouri kills per game list (3.21), eighth on the digs per game chart (2.54) and sixth on the all-time kills list with 956 career terminations.

The six student-athletes selected to the first team advance to the national Academic All-America ballot. This year marks the 50th year of the program, as the inaugural team was announced on December 6, 1952. Since that time, more than 12,000 students have been named Academic All-America team members at colleges and universities at all levels for every recognized NCAA sport. The program's popularity resulted in a significant expansion for the current academic year, as 816 student-athletes - a 19 percent increase over the previous highest number - will be selected to 12 different Academic All-America teams during the 2001-02 academic season.