GREENWOOD, Ind. – BYU women’s volleyball opposite hitter Kenzie Koerber and middle blocker Kennedy Eschenberg were both named to the 2021 NCAA Women's Volleyball Academic All-America First Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Koerber headlined the 2021 class as the Team Member of the Year.
Koerber is the first BYU student-athlete to be named Team Member of the Year by CoSIDA since fellow BYU women's volleyball alum Amy Boswell earned the honor in 2016.
Koerber graduated from the University of Utah last year with a degree in communications and maintained a 4.0 GPA. Since transferring to BYU before this season, she is pursuing post-baccalaureate studies. Starting in all 32 matches, Koerber dominated offensively, leading the team with 364 kills, averaging 3.40 kills per set. In addition to her .352 overall hitting percentage, she boasted eight double-doubles, 260 digs, 96 blocks and 23 service aces.
Eschenberg graduated with a degree in elementary education. One of the top middle blockers in the nation, she led the Cougars to their ninth Sweet 16 in 10 seasons. The graduate ranked No. 9 in NCAA Division I in hitting percentage, with a clip of .424. Eschenberg totaled 208 kills while leading the team with 136 blocks. This is Eschenberg's second CoSIDA All-America honor. She was named to the third team last season.
The graduates advanced to the Academic All-America ballot after being selected to the Academic All-District Eight First Team in November. These honors mark the 13th and 14th CoSIDA All-America First Team awards in program history.
The Academic All-America Volleyball Team recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The complete list of this year’s CoSIDA Academic All-America teams can be found on cosida.org.