INDIANAPOLIS- The accolades continue to pile up for UIndy senior
Kyleigh Turner (Muncie, Ind./Cowan), as the Muncie, Ind. native was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year by league officials Friday. It marks the second straight year Turner has garnered the award, based upon athletic accomplishments - both team and individual - and academic performance in the season upon which the honor is based.
Turner has maintained a 3.94 cumulative GPA at UIndy as a business education major. In the fall, she posted a 4.00 semester GPA while leading the Greyhounds to their third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and first-ever Midwest Region championship. She earned numerous on-the-court accolades in 2009, including American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Third-Team All-America, AVCA All-Midwest Region, Daktronics All-Midwest Region First Team and All-GLVC First Team honors.
Her academic laurels are also numerous. She was bestowed with the NCAA’s Elite 88 award this season at the annual banquet for the Division II Volleyball Championship. The Elite 88 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 88 championships. She also garnered Academic All-District V Second Team honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) this year and is expected to collect her fourth Academic All-GLVC nod when honorees are announced this spring.
As a four-year starting libero, Turner finished her career with 2,574 career digs, easily a program record, as well as 129 career aces, good for a share of ninth all-time. The two-time All-American contributed to the winningest four-year span in school history, leading the Hounds to a stellar 124-26 (.827) mark and three straight NCAA appearances in her time on campus. She led the Hounds to their second GLVC crown last fall, and to single-season school records in both wins (38) and winning percentage (.950).
Turner was one of five student-athletes to garner Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in their respective sports for the 2009-10 fall season. Drury's Jaime Villa Zapatero (men’s cross country) and Blake Wilson (men’s soccer), Quincy's Jenna Boyko (women’s soccer), and Southern Indiana's Mary Ballinger (women’s cross country) were all honored for their athletic and academic achievements Friday.
Nominees were to have a cumulative grade point average which meets Academic All-American standards (3.30), and freshmen and first-year transfers were not eligible. The voting was completed by each institution's Faculty Athletic Representative. Each conference member had the opportunity to nominate one individual from its team for the award.