USCA's Gerolstein Named Academic All-American

AIKEN, S.C.--USC Aiken middle hitter Mandy Gerolstein has been named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America First-Team for volleyball. Gerolstein becomes the first Lady Pacer volleyball player to earn this prestigious honor in 23 years, joining Leigh Pagan (1983) as the only other selection. She is the ninth CoSIDA Academic All-American in the school’s 46-year history.

Gerolstein joins Armstrong Atlantic State's Traci Knuth as the only PBC volleyball players to be named Academic All-Americans in the last 10 years. Knuth was placed on the third team in 2006.

Gerolstein, a 6-1 senior from Millersville, Md. has maintained a near perfect 3.97 grade point average while majoring in Biology in her four years at USC Aiken.

The five-member First, Second, and Third Teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) from the First-Team All-District honorees. To qualify, a student-athlete must be of at least sophomore standing, have been enrolled at their current school for at least one year, have a minimum 3.2 grade point average, and be a starter or significant reserve on their team. The CoSIDA program is the only one that may use the copyrighted term “Academic All-American”.

On the court, Gerolstein led the Lady Pacers to the 2007 Peach Belt Conference Regular Season and Tournament championships for the second-straight year, notching a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. She became the fourth Lady Pacer to win the league’s Player of the Year this season, but the first for USC Aiken volleyball since Kim Merrill in 1995.

Gerolstein hit .404 to lead the league and rank sixth in the nation. She was third in kills per game (3.75) and seventh in blocks (0.91).

A four-time PBC Player of the Week selection, Gerolstein ranks third all-time in school history with 1,455 career kills, third in hitting percentage (.327), and second with 484 career blocks. In earning her third-straight All-Conference selection, Gerolstein becomes just the fourth Lady Pacer to accomplish that feat, joining Susanna Ruotsalainen (1996-98), Roxanna Rivera (1994-95, 1997), and four-time honoree Merrill (1994-97).

In the classroom, Gerolstein has been named to the Dean’s List, the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, and the Peach Belt Conference Honor Roll every semester at USC Aiken.

2007 ESPN The Magazine / CoSIDA Academic All-America
Volleyball--College Division
December 4, 2007

First-Team
Kelly Downs, Elizabethtown College
Mallory Clements, SIU-Edwardsville
Mandy Gerolstein, USC Aiken
Amanda Morris, MIT
Jori Simmons, Carthage College
Melissa DeLuca, Wingate

Second-Team
Amy Anderson, Bethel (Minn.)
Carrie Buchanan, MIT
Emily Bell, Wittenberg
Rachel Chizmadia, Widener
Katie Becofsky, SUNY New Paltz
Stephanie Wilson, Southern Indiana

Third-Team
Laura Winkler, Kalamazoo
Kristi Fiorillo, Clarion
Margeaux Sinibaldi, Tampa
Jessie Hampton, Capital
Paula Harry, Southwestern Oklahoma State