WESTON, Mass. - Combining stellar academic work with significant contributions on the volleyball court, seniors Rita Dow (Nashua, N.H.) and Toni Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.) and junior Kate Montigny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) have been selected to the Women's Volleyball Academic All-District® Team by College Sports Communicators, announced Tuesday, Nov. 22, by the national organization.
In order to be an Academic All-District® honoree, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore at their institution and have spent at least one full year at that particular school, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above, and have played at least 50 percent of their team's contests as a starter or important reserve.
One of this year's team captains, Dow adds another honor this season after already receiving Second Team All-GNAC and NEWVA Honorable Mention All-Senior recognition. She led the Pride with 227 kills, tied for the team lead in blocks with 83 total blocks, and ending up second on the squad in hitting percentage at .250 and in service aces with 53.
Dow concluded her collegiate career second on the Regis all-time list for career hitting percentage at .277, fourth in career kills with 617, and eighth in career total blocks with 206. A two-time Academic All-GNAC selection, Dow is majoring in marketing and communications and business management, plus she is pursuing minors in economics and data analytics.
Ondris also served as a team captain this past season for the Pride and was selected to the GNAC Women's Volleyball All-Sportsmanship Team for the second consecutive year. She appeared in 25 of the team's 33 matches during the season and earned 81 digs, including a career-high 13 digs in the final regular season match against Anna Maria Oct. 29 as well as nine digs against Colby-Sawyer Oct. 11.
Also a two-time Academic All-GNAC honoree, Ondris is one of the social media representatives on the Regis Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), posting content to the organization's Instagram page (@regispridesaac). She is majoring in marketing and communications with a minor in sports marketing.
Montigny appeared in 31 matches for the Pride this season and finished with 201 kills, leading the squad with a .256 hitting percentage and 83 total blocks. She concluded the year third in the GNAC in blocks per set (0.78) and fourth in hitting percentage.
In a five-set victory over Colby-Sawyer College Oct. 11, Montigny collected a season-high 15 kills, posted a .370 hitting percentage, and also notched a season-high total for blocks with eight. An Academic All-GNAC selection in 2021-22, Montigny is majoring in education.
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in mid-December.
Regis College sponsors 20 intercollegiate sports, including women's volleyball, within NCAA Division III as part of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.