The Valpo volleyball program had a pair of players recognized both for their work on the court and in the classroom on Tuesday as the Missouri Valley Conference unveiled its Scholar-Athlete teams. Junior Rylee Cookerly (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, while fellow junior Brittany Anderson (East Chicago, Ind./Bishop Noll) was tabbed an MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention selection.

Cookerly earned a spot on the Scholar-Athlete First Team for a second consecutive season. A First Team Academic All-District honoree as well, Cookerly owns a 3.948 cumulative grade point average as a nursing major and has earned Valpo Presidential Academic honors and the MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award.

On the court, Cookerly has enjoyed her third straight strong season at libero for the Brown and Gold. The junior ranks 20^th nationally with 5.22 digs/set and has tallied 616 total digs on the year, posting 20 or more digs 14 times. She is one of just three players in MVC history to register at least 600 digs in each of her first three collegiate seasons. Cookerly currently sits 12^th among active Division I players with 2,041 career digs and is the only junior in the top-25 in the category.

Anderson was recognized as an MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention choice for a second straight year. Like Cookerly, she has earned Valpo Presidential Academic honors, as well as the MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award. Anderson currently carries a 3.691 cumulative GPA as a sports management major.

Anderson has been Valpo’s primary setter for a third straight year this season and ranks fourth in the MVC with 8.43 assists/set on the year. Anderson enters the MVC Tournament with 995 total assists this year, giving her 3,769 career assists – 19^th-most among active Division I players and third-most among juniors. She ranks fourth in program history in career assists as well, and also became just the 22^nd player all-time at Valpo to surpass the 1,000 career dig milestone earlier this season.