ORLANDO, Fla. – Outside hitter McKenna Melville was honored by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Monday with a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-America Volleyball Second Team after a strong combined performance on the court and in the classroom last season.
"It's really exciting," Melville said, "I think it shows that academics is a big part of the program here and it's what makes UCF Volleyball, UCF Volleyball. We don't take it lightly and it's what we strive for because after volleyball there is hopefully a job waiting for us. And for me, growing up, it has been ingrained to focus my attention equally on volleyball and school."
Melville becomes the second Knight to earn the recognition in volleyball program history, joining Jenny Heppert (2008). She is the only representative honored from the American Athletic Conference this season.
The junior is one of seven student-athletes named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American Division I Volleyball Team Second Team majoring in finance.
"For McKenna to be the conference player of the year and an academic All-American is the ultimate definition of a student-athlete and is a major milestone in our program history," head coach Todd Dagenais said. "She is only our second student-athlete in history to earn this recognition and it goes to show how difficult it is to actually achieve that award. It is also a great tribute to our student-athlete academic support and everyone that has a hand in the academic cookie jar."
A third-year Knight from Eagan, Minn., Melville was named to the CoSIDA District Four NCAA Division I First Team in June. After an outstanding season on the court, she racked up the accolates - earning AAC Player of the Year, AVCA Southeast All-Region, AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, Volleyballmag.com Third Team All-American and was unanimously tabbed AAC First Team All-Conference in 2020-21.
Melville played all 65 sets for the UCF team that went 16-2 overall and posted an undefeated 8-0 mark in conference play this season. She was the Knights' primary attacker, finishing the season as the team leader in kills (4.55 per set), points (5.12 per set), and total attacks (772).
She was also a key player on defense as well with 2.97 digs per set and chipped in 34 total blocks on the season, including seven solos, both good for second on the team. Her nine double-doubles led the team.
In every season that Melville has played at UCF, the Knights have won the American Athletic Conference title and received a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
To be eligible for the accolade, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA.
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