Three Bears Named to CSC Academic All-District® One Volleyball Team

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Three members of the Bridgewater State University volleyball program have been selected to the 2025 Academic All-District® One Division III Women's Volleyball Team by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).

Earning the honor from Bridgewater State are senior outside hitter Kim Gowell (Durham, N.H.) and junior outside hitters Ava Crane (Dartmouth, Mass.) and Lily Welch (Hanson, Mass.

Gowell and Welch are both two-time recipients of the CSC Academic All-District® award while Crane is a first time honoree.

The three Bears are among 14 members of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) to garner the accolade. They are joined by MCLA's Elizabeth Brown, Addison Decaro, Audrey Melson and MaKayla Schuerer; Westfield State's Allie Hill, Erica Majka, Hanna Nihill and Emily Washkalavitch; and Katie Cueva, Alexia Mitchell and Paige Thomason of Worcester State.

The 2025 Academic All-District® Volleyball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field 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 eligible for all-academic honors, a student-athlete must be a starter or a key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at her current institution and be nominated by her sports information director. A student-athlete must have also played in at least 90% of her team's matches for the 2025 season or started in 66% of the matches.

Gowell is a psychology major with a minor in philosophy as well as studio art minor. She currently checks in with an outstanding 3.827 grade point average. The Durham, New Hampshire native appeared in 72 matches over four seasons in a BSU uniform and notched 498 kills, 18 assists, 41 aces, 188 digs and 59 blocks (nine solo).

A native of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, Crane is a health science major with a 3.709 career GPA. The 2025 All-MASCAC honoreee has amassed 313 kills, 53 assists, 108 aces, 568 digs and 38 blocks (nine solo) in 45 matches over her first two seasons with the Bears.

Welch, who calls Hanson, Massachusetts home, has produced an impressive 3.80 GPA while majoring in marketing. A two-time All-MASCAC selection and two-time MASCAC Tournament MVP, Welch has played in 62 matches for the Bears over her first three seasons and checks in with 563 career kills to go along with 39 assists, 60 aces, 573 digs, and 122 blocks (26 solo).

Gowell, Crane and Welch helped the BSU volleyball team post a 17-5 record in 2025 including a perfect 8-0 conference mark. The Bears captured the MASCAC Tournament title with a 3-1 championship match win over Framingham State University and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second straight season and 11th time in program history.

2025 CSC Academic All-District® Division III Volleyball Teams (PDF)