SAN MATEO, Calif. – Nine Gonzaga volleyball players were selected West Coast Conference All-Academic as announced by the league office Tuesday morning. A program record tying three Zags were named to the WCC All-Academic First Team—Chapin Gray, Gretchen Rudel and Julia Talarico—while six Bulldogs earned Honorable Mention honors: Tia Andaya, Kennedy Croft, Alyssa Hughes, Katelyn Oppio, Sarah Penner and Zoe Thiros.
 
It marked the second-straight first team accolades for both Gray and Talarico while it was the first career first team nod for Rudel. Gray, a senior outside hitter from Phoenix, Ariz., graduated with a dual degree in political science and psychology with a 3.84 cumulative GPA. This season, she ranked second on Gonzaga in kills with 177 on the season hitting .223. Gray also ranked third on the team in points per set with 2.93. This season, she finished with double-figure kills 11 times on the season with a career-high 21 kills at Pepperdine on March 6. Gray added 20.0 blocks on the season to rank sixth on the team. She earned All-WCC Honorable Mention honors back in April.
 
Talarico, a senior defensive specialist, picked up her second career all-academic honor after being selected to the first team a season ago. The Chandler, Ariz., native earned a degree this May in biochemistry with a 3.83 cumulative GPA. She saw action in all 18 matches for the Zags, leading the Bulldogs with 277 digs on the season to rank fourth in the WCC with a 3.79 digs per set average. Talarico tallied double-figure digs in 15 matches on the season with four matches of at least 20 digs, recording a season-high 23 digs at Saint Mary's on Feb. 15. She added 58 assists on the season with 15 service aces.
 
Rudel moved into a larger role in the 2021 spring season, seeing action in all but one match on the year with four starts. The Naperville, Ill., native ranked fourth on the team in digs with 2.38 per set, finishing with 164 on the season, including 10 different matches with double-figure digs. She added 10 service aces on the year and 21 assists. Rudel was also selected as Gonzaga's Female Scholar Athlete of the Year in early May, earning her degree in electrical engineering with a 3.97 cumulative GPA.
 
Penner collected her third straight All-Academic Honorable Mention nod after earning the distinction in 2019 and 2018. The Sherwood, Ore., native earned a degree in business administration with a 3.58 cumulative GPA. This season, Penner led the Zags in kills (191), kills per set (2.65), service aces (26) and attempts (590) while ranking second in digs (217), digs per set (3.01) and total blocks (48). The Sherwood, Ore., native reached double-figure kills 12 times in the shortened season while logging double-figure digs on 11 occasions. She added eight double-doubles (kills, digs) and collected a season-high 23 digs in the first match of the season at Pacific on Feb. 5.
 
Oppio collected her second-straight All-Academic Honorable Mention nod after taking home the honor back in 2019. Oppio earned her degree in business administration with a 3.73 cumulative GPA after playing five seasons of volleyball with GU. This season, the Sparks, Nev., native saw action in 16 matches on the season with six starts at middle, and she ranked third on the team in hitting percentage (.266) with 64 kills on the season. Oppio also ranked fourth on the team in blocks with 30.0 total on the season, finishing with five solo blocks and 25 block assists.
 
The All-Academic Honorable Mention nod is the first for Hughes, Andaya, Croft and Thiros. Hughes carries a 3.70 cumulative GPA, major undeclared business. The Portland, Ore., native was selected All-WCC Second Team earlier this season after leading the second-best blocking program in the West Coast Conference at the net with team highs in total blocks (72.0), solo blocks (9) and block assists (63). She led the conference in total blocks on the season (72), and she ranked third in the conference in blocks per set (1.07) and solo blocks with nine. Hughes also led the squad and ranked fourth in the conference in hitting percentage at .328, connecting for 134 kills off 287 attempts with just 40 errors on the year. The sophomore finished with a hitting percentage over .400 six times on the season with a season-high .571 coming at Saint Mary's on Feb. 14.
 
Andaya, who is pursuing a degree in kinesiology, carries a 3.75 cumulative GPA. The sophomore setter was selected All-WCC Honorable Mention earlier this season after finishing the 2021 spring season ranking second in the conference in assists (699) while ranking fifth in the WCC in assists per set (9.58). Her 9.58 assists per set also ranks 10th all-time during the rally scoring era for assists per set in a single season. The sophomore from Ellensburg, Wash., added 169 digs on the season to rank third on the squad with a 2.32 per set average. She finished with at least 30 assists in 14 of 18 matches on the year with 40+ on eight different occasions including a career-high 58 in a five-set loss to Saint Mary's on Feb. 15. Andaya added eight double-doubles (assists, digs) on the season.
 
Croft also picked up her first All-Academic Honorable Mention honor after posting a 3.37 cumulative GPA in sport management. Despite missing six matches due to injury, Croft ranked fourth on the squad in kills (128) and third in digs per set (2.84) while ranking second in points per set at 2.94. The junior from Tumwater, Wash., finished with double-figure kills nine times on the season with a season-high 16 coming in a five-set win at Loyola Marymount on Feb. 22. She also posted double-figure kills on seven different occasions—recording six double-doubles in the process (kills, digs)—with a season-high 21 digs coming in a four-set loss at San Francisco on March 20.
 
Thiros also earned her first career all-academic honor after finishing her sophomore season with a 3.81 cumulative GPA in business administration. The Pocatello, Idaho, native saw action in 17 matches on the season, finishing the year with 81 total kills, three service aces and 12.0 blocks on the season.
 
No fewer than 47 volleyball student-athletes qualified for academic honors. More than 25 posted a GPA of at least 3.50, while 18 posted marks of 3.75 or better.
 
At the conclusion of each athletic season, the WCC selects an all-academic squad for each WCC-sponsored sport. To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while also being a significant contributor to her team.