AUSTIN, Texas --- Tusculum University student-athletes Emiah Burrowes and Madison Adkins have been named to the NCAA Division II Academic All-District® 3 Women's Volleyball first team as selected by the College Sports Communicators.
The 2023 Academic All-District® Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, must be at least a sophomore and played in 90 percent of their team's sets and matches or start in 67 percent of their team's contests.
Burrowes, a graduate student from Wesley Chapel, North Carolina, is completing her MBA and graduated last May with her degree in psychology and posted a 3.59 undergraduate GPA. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She is a multiple-year recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2ADA) Academic Achievement Award.
Burrowes is a two-time AVCA All-American outside hitter including this year where she garnered honorable mention laurels. She is a four-time All-SAC selection including first team honors on three occasions. She was named the 2019 SAC and Southeast Region Freshman of the Year and two years later was tabbed the SAC and Region Player of the Year in 2021. She was named the SAC All-Tournament the past two years including this season where she was the SAC Tournament Most Valuable Player.
In 2023, Burrowes started in all 99 sets where she amassed 357 kills (3.61 per set) on a .224 attack percentage. She also tallied 23 services aces, 255 digs (2.58 set), 31 total blocks and averaged 4.00 points per set. She accounted for 10 double-doubles including in a row to wrap up her collegiate career. During her 29 matches, she reached double-digit kills on 22 occasions including 10 in a row to finish the season.
Adkins, a junior setter from Olive Hill, Kentucky, has a 3.98 GPA while majoring in biology. She is a member of the Tusculum President's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List, SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll. In 2021-22, she was named the recipient of the Tusculum Freshman of the Year Academic Award and then followed with the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award in 2022-23.
Adkins also earned AVCA All-America honorable mention distinction this year as she averaged 8.96 assists per set. Since taking over as TU's primary setter in mid-September, she averaged 10.67 assists per set as TU won 15 of its final 18 matches. She earned All-SAC and All-Region honors and was selected to the SAC All-Tournament team. She finished second on the team with 42 service aces while also posting 233 digs and 52 total blocks in her 96 sets. She recorded double-digit assists in 27 of 29 matches including 25 in a row to end the season.
Tusculum finished the season with a 22-7 record which included a 10-match winning streak as the Pioneers went a perfect 3-0 in the league postseason to capture the program's first SAC Tournament title and a berth to the NCAA II Tournament.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in January.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2023-2024 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
