Three Wayne State College volleyball players were named Tuesday morning to the 2023 Academic All-America women's volleyball team as selected by the College Sports Communicators in NCAA Division II.  Junior middle hitter Taya Beller and senior setter Rachel Walker were both repeat selections as Beller was a First Team selection while Walker and senior libero Jordan McCormick each collected Second Team All-American honors.
            Beller, a 6-2 junior middle hitter from Lindsay (Humphrey HS), earned First Team honors after named Third Team Academic All-American last season and carries a 3.72 grade point average majoring in business management and management.  She joins Jennifer Hefner (2009, 2010) and Megan Gebhardt (2017) as Wildcat volleyball players to be named Academic All-American First Team.
            This season, Beller was named repeat AVCA and D2CCA All-American First Team after leading the NSIC in blocks (1.13/set) while ranking second in the league in hitting percentage (.381) and points per set (4.40) and fifth in kills per set (3.53).  She was selected NSIC Offensive Player of the Week three times this season and voted to the Central Region All-Tournament Team.  Beller was also named All-NSIC First Team for a third straight year.
            Walker, a 5-9 senior setter from Lincoln (Southwest HS) is a repeat CSC Academic All-American with a Second Team designation this season after receiving Third Team honors last year with a 3.95 grade point average majoring in elementary education and sport management.  On the court this season, Walker ranked third in the NSIC and tied for 12^th in NCAA Division II averaging 10.98 assists per set to earn AVCA All-American honorable mention honors.  She led the Wildcats this season with 12 double-doubles and ended her Wildcat career ranked second in set assists at 4,693.  Walker received All-NSIC and AVCA All-Central Region First Team honors for a second straight season and was voted to the Central Region All-Tournament Team.
            McCormick, a 5-9 senior libero from Omaha (Elkhorn South HS), maintains a 4.00 grade point average majoring in K-6 special education and was voted College Sports Communicators Academic All-American Second Team.  She was named recipient of the NSIC Elite 18 and NCAA Elite 90 Awards as the top scholar athlete at a conference and national championship event.  On the court this season, McCormick ranked 10^th in the NSIC this season averaging a team-high 4.24 digs per set.  She also had 26 service aces this season and last summer became Wayne State's first-ever beach volleyball Academic All-American with Second Team honors.
            Wayne State finished the 2023 season with a record of 31-3, ending the year ranked fourth in the final AVCA/TARAFLEX Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.  The Wildcats captured a second straight NSIC regular season title with a perfect 18-0 league record and advance to the NCAA Elite 8 after winning a second NCAA Central Region title (first one in 2015).  WSC ended its year with a 3-2 loss to eventual national champion Cal State Los Angeles at the NCAA Elite 8 in Moon Township, Pa. in early December.