St. LOUIS -- Two Missouri State volleyball players were honored Tuesday by the Missouri Valley Conference for their performance on the court and in the classroom. Melissa Gmur and Cara Hackmann appear on MVC Scholar-Athlete teams following a vote of the league’s sports information directors, it was announced by the league office.

    Hackmann makes the first team for a third consecutive season and carries a 3.82 cumulative grade point average in finance. The senior has split time between outside hitter and libero this season and averages 3.90 digs per set, second in the MVC among non-full-time liberos. The Washington, Mo., native is also a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Third Team member this year after making the second team in 2009. Hackmann currently holds six school records and will likely leave Missouri State with one more, career digs per set, while finishing third in school history in sets played.

    A first-team MVC Scholar-Athlete in 2009, Gmur makes the honorable mention squad this season with a 3.86 GPA in elementary education. The senior from Central Point, Ore., has split time at setter in MSU’s 6-2 offense this season, averaging 5.47 assists, 2.04 digs and hitting .366 over 89 sets played. The Bears are 11-3 with Gmur in the starting lineup.

    A total of 50 student-athletes were nominated for the Valley’s scholar-athlete team. The criteria for the honor parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of the regular-season matches. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution.

First Team
Jennifer Berwanger (SIU)
Angela Bys (DU)
Morgan Dall (INS)
Beth Discher (UNI)
Shelbi Fouty (INS)
Cara Hackmann (MSU)
Emily Heffernen (DU)
Mary Elizabeth Hooper (WSU)
Alicia Johnson (SIU)
Allie Oelke (CU)
Alicia Runge (CU)
Tabitha Visk (ILS)

Honorable Mention
Lauren Blumhorst (SIU)
Michelle Burow (UNI)
Melissa Gmur (MSU)
SarahWaldorf (WSU)
Emily Wandersee (UE)
Alaan Wittenburg (DU)