ASHLAND – One of the all-time great seasons for a Southern Oregon University volleyball player reached a new level of distinction Tuesday when Megan Perry was selected to the NAIA Academic All-America first team by the College Sports Communicators.
Perry – who was previously named the Cascade Conference Player of the year and a first-team NAIA All-American for her exploits on the court as a right-side hitter – is the 20th Raider in any sport and first-ever SOU volleyball player to receive the honor from the CSC, formerly known as CoSIDA.
A total of 14 volleyball players across the NAIA, seven on the first team and seven on the second, were recognized as Academic All-Americans for a combination of their athletic and academic performances.
Perry, a senior from Snohomish, Wash., is a business administration and management major with a cumulative 3.98 GPA.
She was among the most dominant attackers in the country, averaging 3.3 kills per set on .382 efficiency along with 0.8 blocks per set. Her overall attacking average ranked third in the NAIA among those who logged at least 3.3 kills, and the .413 clip she registered in conference play was the best for any player in the circuit since 2016.
The 6-foot-2 lefty helped the Raiders go 32-4 overall, win Cascade Conference regular-season and tournament championships, attain their highest-ever postseason ranking at No. 3, and make their first appearance in the semifinal round of the NAIA Volleyball Championship.
Perry was also named to the NAIA All-Tournament team after recording 47 kills and 11 blocks over four matches at the final site.
She played two seasons at SOU after transferring from Bellevue C.C. (Wash.). With her on the roster, the Raiders won 60 of 71 matches.
Perry was joined on the CSC Academic All-District team by teammates Annie Hite, Kayla Neidigh and Hannah Stadstad. She and second-team member Julie Carr of Carroll (Mont.) were the only student-athletes west of Nebraska to make the Academic All-America squad.
Perry, a member of the Cascade Conference Association of Student-Athletes Committee, is the second SOU student-athlete to land Academic All-America recognition in 2024-25. Casey Ruvolo, a junior goalkeeper, earned a spot on the men's soccer second team in December.