Ella Maiden named CSC Academic All-American

AUSTIN, Texas (January 9, 2024) – Milligan University junior Ella Maiden was named to the NAIA Academic All-America© Second Team by the College Sports Communicators on Tuesday.

Maiden was one of 14 NAIA All-America selections and is the 33rd Academic All-American in Milligan University history. She joins Kendra Fiddler as the second Academic All-America pick in program history.

Maiden is a business administration major with a 3.66 cumulative grade-point average and one of the top middle blockers in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) and the NAIA.

Maiden became Milligan volleyball's highest-ever All-American as she was named a Second Team NAIA and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American in 2023. For the third-straight season she was tabbed as an All-AAC First Team Pick and repeated as an AVCA All-Northeast Region First Team honoree.

Maiden led the NAIA with 70 solo blocks, ranked 10th in the country with 1.25 blocks per set and 11th nationally with a .358 hitting percentage. She led the Buffs with 3.12 kills per set and topped the AAC with 4.2 points per set. Maiden was one of four players in the nation to average at least one block and three kills per set in 2023. She had 20 games with double-digit kills and 16 games with at least five total blocks.

Maiden was a key contributor to the Buffs' record-breaking 2023 season. Milligan finished with a 26-7 record and went 19-2 in AAC play to finish second in the conference standings and set the program record for conference winning percentage (.905). Milligan's 13 sweeps in AAC play set a single-season team record and the Buffs recorded a 15-game winning streak, the longest in team history.