Maria Taylor Named To Academic All-District Team
November 06, 2008 | Volleyball
ATHENS, Ga. University of Georgia senior volleyball student-athlete Maria Taylor has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III Third Team as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America on Thursday.
Taylor, a native of Alpharetta, Ga., earned the academic all-district recognition for endeavors both on and off the court. On the court, Taylor has started all 25 matches for the Bulldogs this season and leads the team with 336 kills and her 3.65 kills per set average ranks second among all Southeastern Conference athletes. On October 28, Taylor was named the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I National Player of the Week, and she has twice been named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week this season. Additionally, she has recorded a team-best nine double-doubles in 2008 while moving up the career charts in the record books. Taylor currently third in career points scored, third in career attacks, third in kills per set, fourth in career kills and fifth in points per set.
Furthermore, Taylor has contributed to the sport of volleyball on a national level. In 2008, she was a member of the Bronze Medal winning USA A2 National Team, and in 2006, she was selected to play on the USA Select Team in Argentina.
Off of the court, Taylor has also excelled in her academic undertakings. Taylor is Broadcast News Major who serves as a member of UGA’s News Channel Newsource 15 and has done voice over for short film productions. A two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and a three-time member of the Dean’s List, Taylor was named a 2008 Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sports Scholar and was honored at Georgia’s Director’s Academic Roundtable with the Scholar-Athlete Award. From 2005-06, Taylor served on the UGA Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and she is currently the student-athlete representative for the UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors. In the community, Taylor, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, has participated as a volleyball camp worker, a reading tutor, in food banks and gone on hospital visits.
Taylor’s recognition as an All-District student-athlete is the fifth such honor in Georgia volleyball program history. Brooke Burlingame earned third-team honors in 2005 and 2006, while Sandy Perkins was recognized second team in 1983 and first team in 1984.
Taylor’s Honors & Achievements:
2008 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III Third Team (11/6)
2008 Sports Imports/AVCA National Division I Player of the Week (10/28)
2008 Two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week (9/8 & 10/27)
2008 AVCA 30-Kill Club
2008 Duke Invitational All-Tournament Team
2008 Texas Invitational All-Tournament Team
2008 Preseason All-SEC Team
2007 All-SEC Second Team
2007 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (11/5)
2007 Georgia Southern All-Tournament Team & Tournament MVP
2007 AVCA 30-Kill Club
2007 AVCA Triple-Double Club
2007 SEC Leader in Kills Per Set (4.65)
2007 Total of 4.65 kills per set ranks eighth at UGA in a single season
2007 Total of 5.64 points per set ranks sixth at UGA in a single season
2007 Total of 120 block assists ranks tied-sixth at UGA in a single season
2007 UGA Triple-Triple Club/Single Season (498 kills, 272 digs, 125 blocks)
2007 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2006 Member of USA Select Team
2006 University of Colorado All-Tournament Team
2006 Total of 4.52 kills per set ranks tied-ninth at UGA in a single season
2006 Total of 5.31 points per set ranks 10th at UGA in a single season
2006 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2005 All-SEC Freshman Team
2005 Two-time SEC Freshman of the Week (9/6 & 9/27)
CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Teams (District 3)
First Team
Kelsey Bowers Florida 3.92 Public Relations
Sarah Cline South Carolina 4.0 Exercise Science
Lauren Dickson Virginia 3.89 Commerce
Jenny Heppert Central Florida 4.0 - Biology
Rachael Moss Duke 3.93 Political Science
Jill Nyhof Coastal Carolina 4.0 Political Science
Second Team
Brianna Barry Florida State 3.46 Sports Management
Kristen Cunningham Virginia Tech 3.91 Communications
Natalie Mullikin Wake Forest 3.75 Master’s in Management
Allie Niekamp Georgia Tech Georgia Tech 3.31 Management
Callie Rivers Florida 3.43 Telecommunication News
Carolyn Rivers Wofford 3.91 Biology and Chemistry
Third Team
Sue Carls Duke 3.38 Art History
Branagan Fuller UNC-Greensboro 3.35 Business Marketing
Kimberly Mount William and Mary 3.40 Mathematics and Kinesiology
Lauren Prussing North Carolina 3.56 Exercise and Sport Science
Maria Taylor Georgia 3.36 Broadcast News
Shelley Walroth Jacksonville 3.65 Psychology
Aana Wherry Duke 3.34 Sociology
Taylor Wilson Florida State 3.97 Dietetics
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