November 16, 2017
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Bluffton University junior Erin Weisgarber (Bolivar/Tuscarawas Valley) has been named Academic All-District for her work in the classroom and on the court. She is the first Bluffton volleyball player to claim this distinction since Jenna Eshleman (2010 and 2011) who had been the only Beaver volleyball player to earn this award. Weisgarber was one of just three Heartland Conference volleyballers to be recognized in District 7.
Erin Weisgarber conducted business as usual even though she saw 5,000 kills graduate over the past two seasons, including Bluffton's top two attackers and three of the top five all-time. Weisgarber handed out 1,021 assists (11th all-time), moving up to #3 on the all-time list with 3,392 for her career. She trails just Shauna Rowland (3,695) and Jayne Miller (4.275) following her junior campaign.
The floor maestro also leads Bluffton with 9.92 assists per set for her career, almost one assist per set more than Shauna Rowland (8.93) at number two. She earned Heartland Conference Player of the Week after leading the Beavers to a 3-0 mark during the final week of the regular season. Her .242 career hitting percentage is also 6th all-time at Bluffton thanks to 412 kills against just 128 errors.
Weisgarber was an Academic All-HCAC honoree in 2016, her first year of eligibility, and she is in line to repeat that showing for 2017 when those awards are announced in early December. She has continued to etch the Weisgarber name in the Bluffton record books. Sister Lauren was an Honorable Mention All-America AVCA volleyball honoree in 2016 after being named First Team All-Great Lakes Region last season!
To be nominated for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average at his/her current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games at the position listed on the nomination form. No student-athlete is eligible until he/she has completed one full calendar year at his/her current institution and has reached sophomore athletic eligibility.
By earning first team honors, Erin Weisgarber is automatically placed on the ballot for consideration on the Capital One NCAA Division III Academic All-America team which will be released in December. The CoSIDA All-District teams are selected and voted on by the members of CoSIDA.
-BEAVERS
-