Junior carries 3.90 GPA in mass communication

Northeast-10 Fall 2013 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards

RINDGE, N.H. (February 19, 2014) – Senior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo.) of the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team has been selected as the recipient of a Northeast-10 Conference Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award, as announced Wednesday by the Conference office. It is the second straight season Ray has taken home the award.

It is the seventh Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award earned by Franklin Pierce student-athletes, in just the award's fifth year. Previous Ravens honorees include: Ray (volleyball, fall 2013); Tia Levins '12 (field hockey, fall 2012); Derek Ingui '11 (baseball, spring 2011); Tom Reilly '12 (men's soccer, fall 2010); Johannah Leedham '10 (women's basketball, winter 2009-10); and Angelika Johansson (women's soccer, fall 2009).

The Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence awards are chosen by a committee of athletic administrators and Faculty Athletic Representatives. The Northeast-10 honors one student-athlete per conference-sponsored sport each year, based on a combination of academic and athletic criteria. Ray is the 17th student-athlete to earn more than one Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award in the same sport, and the second volleyball player to repeat as the award winner, joining New Haven's Sara Malmlov, who was honored for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award, a student-athlete must have completed at least two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment at their current institution and at least two years of athletic eligibility at any institution. In addition, the student-athlete must have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.30.

Currently sporting a 3.90 grade-point average as a mass communication major, Ray is a two-time All-Conference selection for the Ravens, including Second-Team honors this fall. She finished the season 16th in the Northeast-10 in kills per set (2.55), as well as seventh in aces per set (0.37). A threat on defense as well, Ray finished among the Conference's top 50 in blocks per set, which allowed her to total 3.12 points per set, good for 14th in the Northeast-10. Defensively, she finished the season just outside the top 30 in digs per set (2.57).

Academic awards have turned into a frequent affair for Ray, who was named to the Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference Team for her work in the classroom this fall, her second such selection in as many years. In addition, she is a five-time selection -- in as many semesters -- to the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

Franklin Pierce finished the 2013 season 14-9 (9-5 Northeast-10), to finish fifth in the Northeast-10. For the second straight year, the Ravens made appearances in both the Northeast-10 Championship and the NCAA Championship East Regional.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).