NEW LONDON, Conn. – Four members of the Connecticut College women's volleyball team have earned Academic All-District® accolades as announced by the College Sports Communicators on Tuesday afternoon. 

Senior Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) and juniors Caroline Festersen (Omaha, Neb.), Taylor Merrifield (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.) were among those honored. Lord, Merrifield and Wartelle were repeat selections, while Festersen earned the distinction for the first time.

The 2025 Academic All-District® Volleyball teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

To be an Academic All-District® honoree, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore at their institution both academically and athletically, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above, and have played at least 66 percent of their team's contests or sets as a starter or 90 percent as a reserve.

Academic All-District® honorees were considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced Jan. 13, 2026.