Nov. 16, 2010

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou volleyball team saw three of its members earn Academic All-Big 12 honors, as announced by the Big 12 office on Tuesday (Nov. 16). Earning first time honors were junior Priscilla Armendariz (Blue Springs, Mo.) and senior Weiwen Wang (Nanjing, China) while senior Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) landed on the second team.

Armendariz earned a 3.59 grade-point average (GPA) as a health science major while Wang posted a 3.55 mark as an accountancy major. Klein, now in graduate school, posted a 3.17 GPA as she is earning her Master's degree from the business school. All-three student-athletes were recognized on last year's Academic All-Big 12 team while Klein and Wang are both three-time recipients of the award.

Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services, the volleyball academic all-league squad consisted of 38 first team members combined with 13 on the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

In all, Mizzou had eight student-athletes with GPAs above 3.00 this semester but three were freshmen and two others did not meet the playing time requirements. Mizzou will return to the floor tomorrow as it will square off with No. 8 Texas in Austin. For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.