ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- Mackenzie McDonald, Paige Andries and Olivia Thompson of College of Saint Benedict Volleyball have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, according to an announcement Tuesday (Nov. 22).

The 2022 Academic All-District® Women's Volleyball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA — for each gender. Click here (PDF) for release on CSC Academic All-District honorees for volleyball.
 
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 late December.

For each of the volleyball standouts at CSB, this is their first Academic All-District honor. This is the first time that CSB Volleyball has had three student-athletes earn CSC Academic All-District honors. The program now has had 11 student-athletes earn DIII Academic All-District honors.

The trio of standouts helped lead CSB to a 15-12 overall record and 6-5 in league play for fifth in the league. They helped the Bennies advance to the MIAC Tournament semifinals.

A junior from Lino Lakes, Minn., Mackenzie McDonald is a libero for CSB. McDonald who has a 3.87 grade point average in communications, finished with a team-best 487 digs for 4.87 per set for sixth in the MIAC. She played in 27 matches and 100 sets while recording seven kills, 76 set assists and 30 service aces. In three seasons at St. Ben's, she has played in 54 matches with 196 sets and accumulated 814 digs or 4.15/set. She has 61 service aces, 106 assists, eight kills and 69 points. Twenty-five times she reached double digits in digs with a high of 32 against Texas Lutheran on Sept. 9, 2022. She had a high of four service aces at Minnesota Morris on Sept. 14, 2022.

Paige Andries, a junior from Marshall, Minn., has a 4.0 grade point average in biology. This season, Andries had a strong season as a middle blocker for the Bennies. She recorded 141 kills (1.76/set) with a .211 hitting percentage on 357 attacks in 20 matches and 70 sets. Andries had 22 total blocks and 141.5 points in 2022. This season, she recorded four double-digit kills matches, twice setting a career best with 15 kills (Concordia-Moorhead, Oct. 29, 2022; St. Catherine, Oct. 26, 2022). She has played in 24 career matches and 80 sets with 141 career kills (1.76/set) on 398 attacks. She has 50 digs, 26 total blocks and 162 points in her career.

A junior from Palm Harbor, Fla., Olivia Thompson is a biology major with a 3.97 grade point average. She had a solid season as an outside hitter for CSB with 109 kills (1.27/set) on 441 attacks in playing 25 matches and 86 sets. Thompson registered 69 digs and 12 total blocks along with 115.5 points. In her third year, she has accumulated 273 kills (1.69/set) on 966 attacks and a .127 hitting mark. Ten times in her career, Thompson has double-digit kills matches with a career high of 18 against Hamline on Nov. 3, 2021. She also has 130 digs, 20 total blocks and 283.5 points in her career.