4 Lady Flames Named to CSC Academic All-District Team
12/12/2023 12:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Liberty senior middle blocker Julia Mangum, senior setter Delaney Dilfer, junior middle blocker Madison Blane and junior outside hitter Kate Phillips have all been named to the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Volleyball Team®, as announced today by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).
To earn inclusion on the team, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve, have played in at least 90 percent of their team's matches or started at least 66 percent of the team's contests and have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average.
Voting has now begun for the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Volleyball Team®. The first-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced on Jan. 9.
Liberty has now received 14 CSC Academic All-District® honors in program history. This is the first time that the Liberty has had four Academic All-District Volleyball selections, as Blane, Mangum and Phillips were honored last season.
Earlier this fall, Blane and Dilfer were both named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team.
Dilfer holds a 4.0 GPA while pursuing a Master's degree in applied ministry after finishing her undergraduate studies with a 4.0 as an interdisciplinary studies major. Blane (International Business) and Phillips (Business Administration) both hold 3.95 GPA's, while Mangum (Exercise Science) is a 3.84 student.
A native of Montgomery, Texas, Blane was honored as an AVCA All-South Region first team selection this season. She was also named to the CUSA All-Conference first team and awarded CUSA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Blane led CUSA in hitting percentage (.418 – 10th nationally) and is second in blocks per set (1.30 – 26th nationally). She reached double figures in kills 12 times, including 11 10-kill matches in conference play. The middle blocker posted five or more blocks 16 times during the campaign. She set a new program single-season record for hitting percentage (.418) during the rally-scoring era.
Hailing from Encinitas, Calif., Phillips was voted to the CUSA All-Conference second team this season. Phillips currently ranks seventh overall in CUSA in kills per set (3.02), including fifth in conference-only matches (3.31). She posted 16 10-kill matches overall. Twice this season (at No. 23 Hawai'i, at Sam Houston), Phillips tied her career high with 20 kills. On Sept. 7 at Hawai'i, the outside hitter became the first Lady Flame since 2011 to register 20 kills and 20 digs in the same match. She scored 15 or more kills nine times this year and finished second on the team with six double-doubles.
Dilfer, a native of Austin, Texas, was named to the CUSA All-Conference second team, her third career all-conference honor. The 2022 ASUN Setter of the Year ranked second in Conference USA in assists per set in conference play, at 10.70. On Nov.11 at UTEP, Dilfer became the 10th active NCAA Division I setter to surpass 4,000 career assists. She dished out 40 or more assists seven times this year, including four 50-assist contests. Dilfer distributed 55 assists against both Western Kentucky and Sam Houston. The setter led the Lady Flames with seven double-doubles, giving her 24 double-doubles in two years as a Lady Flame.
Mangum, a Jacksonville, Fla., native, was a team captain each of her four years while at Liberty. She began her college career during the spring of 2020 and is on pace to graduate next semester. Mangum set a new career high with 15 kills in Liberty's 3-2 win at No. 23 Hawai'i, one of three double-digit kill matches this season. She also posted a career-high eight blocks in a 3-1 win over Ivy League champion Yale on Sept. 2. For the season, she averaged 1.61 kills and 0.74 blocks per set, posting five or more blocks in a match five times. Mangum finished her Liberty career with 321 kills and 143 blocks.
Liberty finished the 2023 season with a 15-14 record, including 8-8 in Conference USA play, earning the fifth seed for the 2023 Conference USA Volleyball Championship. The Lady Flames opened the season with a seven-match winning streak, a stretch which included wins over NCAA Tournament teams High Point, Yale and Hawai'i. The Lady Flames' 3-2 win at Hawai'i on Sept. 7 marked the first win over a Top 25 team in program history.
To earn inclusion on the team, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve, have played in at least 90 percent of their team's matches or started at least 66 percent of the team's contests and have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average.
Voting has now begun for the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Volleyball Team®. The first-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced on Jan. 9.
Liberty has now received 14 CSC Academic All-District® honors in program history. This is the first time that the Liberty has had four Academic All-District Volleyball selections, as Blane, Mangum and Phillips were honored last season.
Earlier this fall, Blane and Dilfer were both named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team.
Dilfer holds a 4.0 GPA while pursuing a Master's degree in applied ministry after finishing her undergraduate studies with a 4.0 as an interdisciplinary studies major. Blane (International Business) and Phillips (Business Administration) both hold 3.95 GPA's, while Mangum (Exercise Science) is a 3.84 student.
A native of Montgomery, Texas, Blane was honored as an AVCA All-South Region first team selection this season. She was also named to the CUSA All-Conference first team and awarded CUSA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Blane led CUSA in hitting percentage (.418 – 10th nationally) and is second in blocks per set (1.30 – 26th nationally). She reached double figures in kills 12 times, including 11 10-kill matches in conference play. The middle blocker posted five or more blocks 16 times during the campaign. She set a new program single-season record for hitting percentage (.418) during the rally-scoring era.
Hailing from Encinitas, Calif., Phillips was voted to the CUSA All-Conference second team this season. Phillips currently ranks seventh overall in CUSA in kills per set (3.02), including fifth in conference-only matches (3.31). She posted 16 10-kill matches overall. Twice this season (at No. 23 Hawai'i, at Sam Houston), Phillips tied her career high with 20 kills. On Sept. 7 at Hawai'i, the outside hitter became the first Lady Flame since 2011 to register 20 kills and 20 digs in the same match. She scored 15 or more kills nine times this year and finished second on the team with six double-doubles.
Dilfer, a native of Austin, Texas, was named to the CUSA All-Conference second team, her third career all-conference honor. The 2022 ASUN Setter of the Year ranked second in Conference USA in assists per set in conference play, at 10.70. On Nov.11 at UTEP, Dilfer became the 10th active NCAA Division I setter to surpass 4,000 career assists. She dished out 40 or more assists seven times this year, including four 50-assist contests. Dilfer distributed 55 assists against both Western Kentucky and Sam Houston. The setter led the Lady Flames with seven double-doubles, giving her 24 double-doubles in two years as a Lady Flame.
Mangum, a Jacksonville, Fla., native, was a team captain each of her four years while at Liberty. She began her college career during the spring of 2020 and is on pace to graduate next semester. Mangum set a new career high with 15 kills in Liberty's 3-2 win at No. 23 Hawai'i, one of three double-digit kill matches this season. She also posted a career-high eight blocks in a 3-1 win over Ivy League champion Yale on Sept. 2. For the season, she averaged 1.61 kills and 0.74 blocks per set, posting five or more blocks in a match five times. Mangum finished her Liberty career with 321 kills and 143 blocks.
Liberty finished the 2023 season with a 15-14 record, including 8-8 in Conference USA play, earning the fifth seed for the 2023 Conference USA Volleyball Championship. The Lady Flames opened the season with a seven-match winning streak, a stretch which included wins over NCAA Tournament teams High Point, Yale and Hawai'i. The Lady Flames' 3-2 win at Hawai'i on Sept. 7 marked the first win over a Top 25 team in program history.
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