Women's Volleyball | 11/5/2015 1:38:00 PM
ROCHESTER, NY – Graduate student
Kayla Wheeler (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) and junior
Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein) of the RIT volleyball team earned 2015 CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District III honors for the second straight season on Thursday, Nov. 5. Both women will be eligible for Academic All-American honors, which will be announced later in the month.
In 2014, Wheeler was a CoSIDA/Capital One Second Team Academic All-America pick, while Szybist earned CoSIDA/Capital One Third Team Academic All-America accolades.
Wheeler, who was previously named to the 2012-13 Co-SIDA/Capital One Academic All-District III Team as a member of the women's basketball team, recorded a 3.94 grade-point average as a biomedical engineering major and is currently working on her master's degree in business administration. This season, Wheeler leads the team with 65 blocks (0.60/set), while recording a career-best 134, kills, while hitting .225 from her middle blocker position.
On the basketball court, Wheeler was named to the 2013 Allstate Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Good Works Team. The award recognizes a unique group of women's college basketball student-athletes who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement. Wheeler was one of five student-athletes chosen among applicants from Division II, III and NAIA institutions.
Szybist, who also has a 3.94 grade-point average in biomedical sciences, is enjoying another strong season for the Tigers, leading the Liberty League with 483 kills and 4.16 kills per set. She is 17 kills away from reaching 500 for the third straight season. Szybist is second on the squad with 52 blocks and also has 187 digs and 22 service aces.
Szybist currently has 1,782 kills in her career, sixth most in program history and is 51 away from the top-three. She has recorded at least 10 kills in a match 28 times, including a current streak of 16 straight contests. On Sept. 19, she was named the RIT Volleyball Invitational Most Valuable Player for the third straight season and was also named to the Gettysburg Battlefield Classic and New York State Regional Challenge All-Tournament Teams in 2015.
The Tigers compete in the Liberty League Tournament this weekend. On Friday, RIT, the No. 4 seed, is on the road to face top-seeded Clarkson, beginning at 5 p.m. If RIT wins, they will face the winner between No. 2 Union and No. 3 St. Lawrence, starting at 4 p.m.
