(Posted November 5, 2009)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College women's volleyball student-athletes Steph Strauss (Penn Hills, Pa./Penn Hills) and Megan Sollenberger (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team, which was announced Thursday.

Strauss, a junior setter, was a Second Team selection, while Sollenberger, a senior libero, was a Third Team honoree.

Strauss, who is studying Sports Management at Juniata, earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Second team All-America honors last season and was named to the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll. She is averaging 9.97 assists per set this season, and has 43 total blocks (0.47/set). Strauss is also third on the team with 28 aces (0.30/set), and adds 1.28 kills/set to the Juniata offense.

Strauss is also among the most active student leaders on campus, helping organize Juniata's annual fall "Mountain Day" and several other campus events. She has helped organize Juniata women's volleyball's "Dig Pink Night" in each of the last two seasons.

Sollenberger, a Finance major at Juniata, is a two-time AVCA All-America selection, and among the top liberos/defensive specialists in Division III women's volleyball. She was named to the 2008 NCAA Juniata Regional All-Tournament Team, and was the Landmark Conference Women's Volleyball Specialist of the Year in both 2007 and 2008. A two-time Landmark Academic Honor Roll selection and First team All-Landmark honoree, she is a member of the Tau Pi Phi national business honor society, and has volunteered with Special Olympics.

Sollenberger is Juniata's all-time career digs leader with 2,693, and she is averaging 5.37 digs/set this season. She is second on the team in service aces with 29 (0.27/set).

Juniata (29-3) is ranked second in the most recent AVCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll, and opens the post-season this Saturday against Goucher College in the Landmark Conference Tournament semifinals. Both the conference tournament semifinals and finals will be played on Saturday at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center in Huntingdon. The Eagles have also been selected to host an NCAA Regional on November 12-14 at the Kennedy S+RC.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.