FRISCO, Texas – Five New Orleans Privateers beach volleyball student-athletes earned spots on the Southland All-Academic Team which was announced by the conference office on Tuesday afternoon.
Cassie Sieling,
Ellie Sieling,
Ashley Salazar,
Brooke Dow and
Renata Dykstra all made it onto the conference all-academic team after their achievements in the classroom and on the sand.
Cassie and Ellie were a dynamic duo together at flight one, winning 19 matches on the season. They also posted an 11-match winning streak during their time together at the top flight.
Ellie carried a 4.0 GPA through her first semester at New Orleans while majoring in Environmental Sciences. Cassie earned a 3.75 GPA in the spring semester as a Mathematics major.
Salazar, who has been the longest tenured beach volleyball student-athlete, posted 15 wins while playing mostly with Dow at flight two. In the classroom, Salazar carries a cumulative GPA of 3.52 as a Finance major and earned her degree in the spring of 2026.
Dow and Dykstra also earned their diplomas in May after completing their respective curriculums.
Dow earned her degree in Marketing and Dykstra earned her degree in Biology with a minor in Environmental Sciences.
On the sand, Dow posted 15 wins while mostly paired with Salazar. That included a win against a pair from Oregon. In the classroom, Dow carried a 3.50 GPA through the recently completed academic year.
Dykstra finished her undergraduate program with a 3.74 GPA. She was a mainstay mostly at flight three for the Privateers and had 12 wins. She was part of a tandem that had a five-match winning streak shortly after being moved to that spot in the lineup.
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