Three Grizzlies named Academic All-District
12/17/2025 3:22:00 PM | Volleyball
The University of Montana women's volleyball program had three players named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team. Alexis Batezel, Gracie Cagle, and Sydney Pierce all earned the honor from the CSC after their successful years on the court and in the classroom.
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In order to qualify for the team, student-athletes must have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA and must have played in 90 percent of their team's matches during the season or started two-thirds of its games.
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It's the second career honor for Batezel. The senior libero left her mark on the Grizzly record book on the floor, but she also maintained a 3.93 GPA while majoring in psychology.
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Batezel finished her Grizzly career third in program history with 1,484 career digs. The longtime libero had a special senior season, recording 484 digs to rank fifth all-time in program history.
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She was named the co-Libero of the Year in the Big Sky Conference and earned a spot on the All-Big Sky Second Team. She ranked second in the Big Sky and 43rd nationally with 4.57 digs per set.
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This is the first Academic All-District honor for both Cagle and Pierce. Cagle, a junior majoring in management information systems, has a spectacular 3.97 GPA in the classroom. Pierce, a marketing major, has a 3.72 GPA.
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Cagle led Montana to its best offensive year in the 25-point rally scoring era. The Grizzly setter helped her team to a .227 hitting percentage on the season. She led the Big Sky Conference and ranked 52nd nationally with 9.89 assists per set.
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She also had a fantastic year at the service line, recording 0.43 aces per set to also lead the Big Sky Conference. Cagle was a Second Team All-Big Sky selection.
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Pierce had a highly efficient year at middle blocker. The sophomore from Billings hit .328 on the season, a top 10 mark in program history for a single year, while averaging 2.25 kills per set.
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She also averaged 0.74 blocks per set and was second on Montana's team with 30 total aces on the year.
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In order to qualify for the team, student-athletes must have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA and must have played in 90 percent of their team's matches during the season or started two-thirds of its games.
Â
It's the second career honor for Batezel. The senior libero left her mark on the Grizzly record book on the floor, but she also maintained a 3.93 GPA while majoring in psychology.
Â
Batezel finished her Grizzly career third in program history with 1,484 career digs. The longtime libero had a special senior season, recording 484 digs to rank fifth all-time in program history.
Â
She was named the co-Libero of the Year in the Big Sky Conference and earned a spot on the All-Big Sky Second Team. She ranked second in the Big Sky and 43rd nationally with 4.57 digs per set.
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This is the first Academic All-District honor for both Cagle and Pierce. Cagle, a junior majoring in management information systems, has a spectacular 3.97 GPA in the classroom. Pierce, a marketing major, has a 3.72 GPA.
Â
Cagle led Montana to its best offensive year in the 25-point rally scoring era. The Grizzly setter helped her team to a .227 hitting percentage on the season. She led the Big Sky Conference and ranked 52nd nationally with 9.89 assists per set.
Â
She also had a fantastic year at the service line, recording 0.43 aces per set to also lead the Big Sky Conference. Cagle was a Second Team All-Big Sky selection.
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Pierce had a highly efficient year at middle blocker. The sophomore from Billings hit .328 on the season, a top 10 mark in program history for a single year, while averaging 2.25 kills per set.
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She also averaged 0.74 blocks per set and was second on Montana's team with 30 total aces on the year.
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