(Posted December 22, 2010)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College senior Steph Strauss (Penn Hills, Pa./Penn Hills) has been named the Landmark Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete for the sport of women's volleyball.

Strauss has been a standout for the Eagles on and off the court. A three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American, she completed her career with 3,424 assists and is ranked seventh among all-time Juniata assist leaders.

Strauss tallied 1,054 assists during her senior year, averaging 9.94 per set, with 199 kills (1.88 per set) and 226 digs (2.13 per set) on her way to Second team All-America honors. She guided a Juniata offense that finished the season with a .266 hitting percentage, ranked tenth in Division III. Strauss was named to the ESPN First team Academic All-America team, becoming the 20th Academic All-American in Juniata history and just the sixth to gain first team honors.

Off the court, Strauss is a three-time Landmark Academic Honor Roll selection and six-time Dean's List honoree at Juniata. The sports marketing and management major served as an intern in both the Juniata College J-Club and Sports Information offices, and was president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In 2009, Strauss was the recipient of the NCAA "Elite 88" Award at the Division III Women's Volleyball Championship, as the student-athlete with the highest grade point average of any participant at the championship site.

The Landmark Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards are the most exclusive awarded by the conference, with just 20 honorees in each academic year - one in each of the league's championship sports. Honorees are selected by a committee of Landmark Conference officers, athletics directors, and sports information directors. One senior from each sport is chosen, based on their accomplishments in all areas of college life including athletics, academics, and other extracurricular activities. Recipients must have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.00 scale.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.