Volleyball Places Four Pioneers on Academic All-District Team

Danny Kambel

Contributing Writer

Four members of the Spartanburg Methodist College volleyball team earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC), recognizing their excellence both on the court and in the classroom.

Seniors Aurora Aho, Leilani Campbell, Tristan Craine, and Kendall Meinders earned the distinction, which requires student-athletes to compete in at least 90 percent of their team’s matches while maintaining a minimum 3.50 GPA. For Aho and Meinders, this marks their second time receiving the honor.

Aho, a senior sport management major, earned a 3.64 GPA. The outside hitter from Duncan, averaged 2.86 digs, 1.69 kills, and 0.35 aces per set. She recorded two double-doubles on the season, including performances in a five-set loss to Milligan and a four-set defeat to Goshen.

Campbell, a senior middle blocker from Florence, averaged 1.51 kills and 0.75 blocks per set. She posted 10 kills in three matches and recorded a season-high six blocks in a straight-set win over Montreat. The business management and entrepreneurship major earned a 4.0 GPA in the fall.

Craine, a senior sport management major, recorded a 4.0 GPA. The setter from Belton, averaged 4.08 assists and 1.68 digs per set. She recorded five double-doubles during the season, notched a season-high 21 assists on three occasions, and tallied 12 digs twice.

Meinders, a senior middle blocker from Liberty, averaged 1.86 kills per set with a .188 hitting percentage and added 0.53 digs per set. She recorded a season-high 10 kills twice, posted a season-high seven digs in a four-set loss to Goshen, and registered three blocks in a match on three occasions. The criminal justice and psychology major earned a 3.83 GPA for the fall semester.

All four student athletes played in all 33 matches and played pivotal roles in leading SMC to the Appalachian Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament in the program’s first year of conference membership.