ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Emma Guest, Mackenzie McDonald, Mackenzie Knofczynski and Paige Andries of College of Saint Benedict volleyball team have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, according to an announcement Tuesday (Dec. 12).

The 2023 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.  
 
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.

McDonald and Andries earned their second consecutive CSB Academic All-District honor. Guest and Knofczynski were honored for the first time. This is the second straight year that CSB volleyball has had three or more student-athletes earn CSC Academic All-District honors. The program now has had 14 student-athletes earn DIII Academic All-District honors.

McDonald, Andries, Guest and Knofczynski helped lead CSB to a 17-10 overall record and second place in the MIAC. The leadership and play by the group helped the Bennies earn a second seed in the MIAC Playoffs.  

Guest, a two-time All-MIAC honoree, recently earned her first AVCA honorable mention all-region recognition, The senior business major from Oak Grove, Minn., registered double doubles seven times this year and 21 in her career. She led CSB with 266 kills (2.63/set, 12^th in the MIAC) on 897 attacks and hit .155. Guest ranked 12th in the MIAC with 43 service aces, including a high of five against St. Scholastica on Sept 30, 2023. She has totaled 316 digs, including reaching double-digits 16 times, and 24 total blocks. Guest was 12th in the MIAC with 321.5 points. In 78 games and 281 sets in her career, Guest recorded 696 career kills (2.48/set), 2,377 career attacks, 796 digs and 95 service aces. She had a career-best 23 kills vs Saint Mary's on Oct. 14, 2022, with 23 digs vs Hamline on Oct. 20, 2023. In her career, Guest, who hit a career-best .542 vs. Saint Mary's on Sept. 29, 2023, had 30 double-digit kills totals, including 11 in 2023.  

Knofczynski, a sophomore biology major from Willmar, Minn., recorded 218 kills (2.18/set) and had a hitting percentage of .216 while registering a team-high 90 blocks (0.90/set), which led the MIAC.  Sixteen times, Knofczynski recorded three or more blocks in a game this year with a high of eight against Simpson on Sept. 8, 2023. Named to the UW-Whitewater All-Tourney Team, Knofczynski recorded double digit kill totals 10 times season (17/career). She recorded a career-high of 15 vs nationally-ranked Washington University on Sept. 15, 2023. In her career, she has played in 54 games and 199 sets, accumulating 409 kills (2.06/set) and a .230 hitting mark. She also had 153 career blocks (90, 2023; 63, 2022).  Knofczynski also has recorded 72 digs in her career with 26 this year. She had a career-best 18 digs against Berea on Sept. 2, 2022. 
 
A two-time Academic All-MIAC honoree,  Andries recorded 159 kills (1.64/set) with 439 attacks and a .241 hitting mark in 2023. A biology major from Marshall, Minn., Andries had 32 digs, and 60 total blocks this year. Nine times in her career, including four times in 2023, she has recorded double-digit kills with a high of 15 vs. St. Catherine on Oct. 26, 2022, and Concordia-Moorhead on Oct. 29, 2022. In her career, she totaled 300 kills (1.69/set) with a .227 hitting mark. Andries totaled 82 digs, five service aces, and 86 total blocks including 20 solos.

A senior communication major from Lino Lakes, Minn., McDonald was named to the Puget Sound Premiere All-Tourney and the UW-River Falls All-Tourney Team in 2023. In 2023, she played 81 sets with 21 matches, totaling 379 digs for 4.68/set and registering 21 service aces. She also had 64 assists or 0.79.set. A two-time Academic All-MIAC honoree, she had a career-high of 38 digs against Gustavus Adolphus on April 28, 2021 and five service aces against Saint Mary's on Oct. 15, 2021. She finished with 277 sets and 75 matches, accumulating 1,193 digs (4.31/set) with 82 service aces and 170 assists.