SEWARD, Neb. – A quintet of Concordia University volleyball players have been named 2015 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes, as announced by the NAIA on Friday. Among this year’s honorees, seniors Katie Peterson, Kayla Sombke, Claire White and Libby Zagel are two-time scholar-athletes. Junior Naomi Quigg has earned the honor for the first time in her career.
Head coach Scott Mattera’s Bulldogs led all NAIA volleyball programs in scholar-athletes in 2013 and 2014. This season the Bulldogs, which made their first-ever national tournament appearance, ranked third among GPAC institutions in scholar-athletes.
In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status. A total of 428 volleyball student-athletes across the nation were named scholar-athletes by the NAIA.
Concordia University ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 1,227 and counting. The 2014-15 season culminated with GPAC-leading totals of 94 Bulldog scholar-athletes and 17 NAIA Scholar-Teams. During the 2013-14 academic year, Concordia garnered 101 Scholar-Athlete honorees (most in the NAIA) and 17 NAIA Scholar-Teams (tied for fourth nationally).
Concordia University, Nebraska, founded in 1894, is a fully accredited, coeducational university located in Seward, Neb., that currently serves over 2,200 students. Concordia offers more than 50 professional and liberal arts programs in an excellent academic and Christ-centered community that equips men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world.
2015 volleyball Scholar-Athletes
Katie Peterson | Sr. | Ord, Neb.
Naomi Quigg | Jr. | Springfield, Ill.
Kayla Sombke | Sr. | Indianapolis, Ind.
Claire White | Sr. | Exeter, Neb.
Libby Zagel | Sr. | Brighton, Colo.
