NCAA Womens Volleyball

Illini Trio Named Academic All-District

Illini Trio Named Academic All-District


CHAMPAIGN, Ill. –  Three Illinois volleyball players earned College Sports Communicators (CSC, formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District honors, the association announced on Tuesday.

Seniors Diana Brown and Jessica Nunge along with sophomore Caroline Barnes each earned Academic All-District recognition The honor is the third for Brown and the first for Nunge and Barnes. 

Brown, a masters student studying Community Health, has started ever match this season for the Orange and Blue, accumulating over 1,000 assists just this year. For her time with the Illini, Brown ranks fifth all-times, owning 4,194 assists while averaging 10.04 assists per set for her career. 

During her redshirt junior campaign, Brown was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team, becoming just the fifth player to do so in program history.

Nunge, an Integrative Biology major, has amassed over 480 kills during her two years in Champaign, Ill. The outside hitter holds over 50 career aces at Illinois and 26 for her senior campaign. Nunge has posted nine double-digit kill efforts, so far, this year, recording a season-best 17 against Illinois State (Sept. 17).

The Illini’s libero for the 2022 season, Barnes, an Information Sciences major, has tallied over 350 digs as a sophomore and over 500 for her career at Illinois. The Naperville, Ill., native posted her first-ever double-double against Minnesota (Nov. 6) when she recorded 15 digs and 10 assists. This year, Barnes has recorded three 20-plus dig efforts, with a career-high 25 against Illinois State. 

All three players on the all-district team advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. The Academic All-America teams will be announced on December 21.

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