Nov. 24, 2008

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Monday, November 24, 2008) – Junior Molly Davis today was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Third Team for her achievements on the court and in the classroom. She becomes the first Redhawks volleyball player to achieve this honor since Pam Kirsch was named Academic All-American in 1992.

Davis, the team’s starting libero since her freshman season, currently holds a perfect 4.0 grade point average in Sports Management. She led the team and ranked fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference in digs with an average of 4.61 digs per set. Her 447 digs this season moved her into third-place on the school’s career digs charts with 1,624 just three digs behind Jill Stephens (1,627 digs) and 13 behind all-time leader Leslie Caughman (1,637 digs). Davis is the school’s all-time leader in digs at the NCAA Division I level.

The Muncie, Indiana native also owns the Redhawks D-I single season record for digs with 637 set last season. That mark stands as third-best on the all-time single season charts. Her 540 digs that she recorded during her freshman campaign is tied for ninth on the school’s single season charts.

Davis has recorded double digits in digs in 86 of her 92 career matches she has played in as a Redhawk. She finished the season riding a 20-game streak of recording double-digit digs. Earlier this season she set a new career-high with 35 digs against Western Illinois at the Hampton Inn Saluki Invitational. For her efforts she was named to the All-Invitational Team as well as garnering her first career OVC Defensive Player of the Week award.

Academically she was named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll last season and was a recipient of the OVC's highest academic award, the OVC Medal of Honor. She is also a two-time Southeast Scholar-Athlete honoree. She was one of only four athletes named Academic All-American with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

She is also the Redhawks second COSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in as many years. Last year gymnast Sandra Blake was named to the COSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American At-Large Third Team.

The OVC garnered three of the possible 18 spots on the Academic All-American Teams. OVC first-year member Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville’s Samantha Schulte garnered First Team honors and her Cougar teammate Mallory Clemenst joined Davis on the Third Team.

To be eligible for Academic All-American status, a student-athlete must be named to their respected districts Academic All-District First Team, be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.