.png)
.png)
Four Tulsa Volleyball Student-Athletes Named to CSC Academic All-District Team
12/12/2023 11:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa's Beth Bayless, Kayley Cassaday, Avery Kalsu and Marta Pecalli were tabbed to the 2023 Academic All-District Volleyball Team, selected by College Sports Communicators. This honor recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.
A Tulsa native, Bayless maintains a 4.0 GPA in speech-language pathology. This season, the sophomore outside hitter reached double-figures in kills in 17 of Tulsa's 33 matches, finishing second on the team with 314 kills at a 2.66 average. She also finished second on the team in points (334.5) and points per set (2.83). Tulsa went 13-4 in matches where Bayless had double-digit kills, capped off by a career-high 19-kill performance against Kansas City to help TU to its first NIVC win in four years.
Cassaday, a graduate outside hitter from Overland Park, Kan., earned her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in May. She finished her undergraduate studies with a 4.0 GPA and is now working on her master's in mechanical engineering. Cassaday had a career year for the Golden Hurricane, finishing the regular season ranked second in the nation in points (636), kills (592), attacks (1,656) and attacks per set (14.40), third in kills per set (5.15) and fourth in points per set (5.53) to bring home her third consecutive first team all-conference award. She also had a big presence on defense with 346 digs and 52 blocks, both top-five marks on the team.
A senior setter from Dripping Springs, Texas, Kalsu holds a 3.969 GPA in exercise and sports science. She shined on the courts as Tulsa's primary setter, finishing with 1,210 assists at a rate of 9.84 per set. Kalsu also made a massive impact on defense with 387 digs at a 3.15 average, both second-highest on the team. In addition, she finished third on the team with 61 blocks. Kalsu wrapped up the 2023 season with 18 double-doubles, which includes a 61 assist-16 dig performance in the Hurricane's 3-2 thriller at home over East Carolina.
Pecalli, a junior libero from Trieste, Italy, maintains a 3.956 GPA in pre-med biology with a minor in biomedical engineering. She surpassed 500 digs for a third consecutive year, finishing with 527 in 2023. Pecalli led TU with 4.28 digs per set, helping the Hurricane end the regular season ranked tenth in the nation in team digs per set (17.31) and 13th in total team digs (1,991). She was tabbed The American Defensive Player of the Week twice and concluded the year second on the team with 164 assists and third with three double-doubles.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
L
/ VolleyballFriday, June 12
Tuesday, May 19
Friday, March 15
Friday, January 19