Nov. 22, 2011

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. Ashley Mason and Karen Rivatto appear on MVC Scholar-Athlete teams following a vote of the league's sports information directors, it was announced by the league office.

Sixty MSU volleyball players have earned MVC Scholar-Athlete honors in the 20 years since the award's inception in 1992, including 47 in the 16 seasons under head coach Melissa Stokes.

Mason makes the first team with a 3.92 cumulative grade point average in business education. The third-year sophomore libero from Granby, Mo., ranks fifth in the MVC and 90th nationally with an average of 4.64 digs per set. That average ranks fifth in school history for a single season, while her 487 total digs rank seventh 29 matches into the season. Mason has topped the 20-dig mark nine times this season as the Bears have out-dug the opposition in all but one match in 2011.

Rivatto is an honorable mention selection and has a 3.83 GPA in entertainment management. The junior outside hitter from Brazil leads the team with 280 kills and a 3.11 average in her first season at MSU. She has 12 double-doubles this season and 18 matches of at least 10 kills with highs of 20 kills at Evansville and 17 digs against Kansas State.

A total of 45 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
Megan Bober, Creighton
Amy Braun, UNI
Michelle Burow, UNI
Emily Heffernen, Drake
Mary Elizabeth Hooper, Wichita State
Shelbi Fouty, Indiana State
Shelby Kintzel, UNI
Ashley Mason, Missouri State
Shannon McGlaughlin, Illinois State
Kristin Stauter, Illinois State
Tabitha Visk, Illinois State
Jenny Willms, UNI

Honorable Mention
Emily Adney, Wichita State
Brooke Boggs, Creighton
Morgan Dall, Indiana State
Elizabeth Field, Wichita State
Alysia Mayes, Southern Illinois
Monique Morris, Indiana State
Karen Rivatto, Missouri State
Sarah Waldorf, Wichita State
Bailey Yeager, Southern Illinois