Portland State volleyball players Ella Hartford and Paige Stepaniuk picked up some postseason hardware Tuesday as both were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team. It was the second straight academic all-district honor for Hartford, who also earned the award last year, while it was the first for Stepaniuk.
 
CSC no longer separates all-district honorees into first or second teams. Instead, the honor recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. To qualify academically, a student-athlete must be a sophomore and have at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA. In the case of graduate student-athletes, nominees must have earned a 3.50 GPA as an undergrad and a grad student. Athletically, student-athletes must compete in 90 percent of their institution's contests or have started at least 66 percent of the contests.
 
Hartford earned her second straight honor with a 3.74 GPA in public health studies: pre-clinical. Athletically, she led the Vikings to two matches where they had five players record 10+ kills in the same match, something they hadn't accomplished since 2007. The first such time came in the Vikings' 3-1 win over Montana on Sept. 28. Hartford led the Vikings to a season-high .355 hitting percentage in the match while setting career highs for assists (60) and digs (16) in the match. The other time came against Montana State on Nov. 14 when Hartford helped lead the Vikings back from a 2-1 deficit to beat the Bobcats in five sets.

For the season, Hartford ranked fourth in the Big Sky with 8.42 assists per set. She also tied Makayla Lewis for the team lead with seven double-doubles

Stepaniuk, meanwhile earned her first academic all-district honor with 3.96 GPA as an experiential pathways: society & identity major. Athletically, Stepaniuk ranked eighth in the Big Sky with 3.31 digs per set over the season. She led the Vikings to a seasonal-best defensive performance in a 3-1 win over Eastern Washington on Halloween. Stepaniuk recorded a career-high 30 digs in the match, while the Vikings held the Eagles to .137 hitting, an opponent season low at the time.

Hartford and Stepaniuk will now advance to a national ballot for CSC Academic All-America honors, which will be announced Jan. 14, 2025.